composer idiocy

I just wanted to briefly revisit this topic again. Quite frankly, I
believe a halfway decent composer can write a halfway decent piece
(maybe a great one! :) in virtually *any* tuning system or scale.
Other distinguished (and not so :) microtonalists have proclaimed
this before me.

So, the question of whether a composer could really distinguish
an "idiotic" scale or system is a debatable one.

Sure, some systems/scales lead to different results, some are easier
to work with, or at least lend themselves to certain kinds of
sonorities or facility, but given the fact that somebody like Scelsi
could write interesting pieces using only *one note* (and others have
also) leads one to believe that practically *anything*, anything that
makes sound or any sounds/scales are "fair game..."

J. Pehrson

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Joseph Pehrson" <jpehrson@r...> wrote:

> So, the question of whether a composer could really distinguish
> an "idiotic" scale or system is a debatable one.

This is one of the things which gets my goat about so many theorists,
who seem to be lieing awake at night thinking up new ways of
restricting the scales and tunings one is allowed to use.

Hello Joe

I have written pieces with only
one or two notes.
I have used "noise" and "sounds"
to write other pieces.
And I have recorded "improvised
sounds".
Any way to compose
can be fair game to me.
I will try any scale or tuning
to get the right colour
and feel for the moment.

I'm sure everyone in this group
has tried different sounds,
sonorities, and facility to
compose their music.

I compose music like I paint
on canvas. :)

Joel

--- Joseph Pehrson <jpehrson@rcn.com> wrote:
> I just wanted to briefly revisit this topic again.
> Quite frankly, I
> believe a halfway decent composer can write a
> halfway decent piece
> (maybe a great one! :) in virtually *any* tuning
> system or scale.
> Other distinguished (and not so :) microtonalists
> have proclaimed
> this before me.
>
> So, the question of whether a composer could really
> distinguish
> an "idiotic" scale or system is a debatable one.
>
> Sure, some systems/scales lead to different results,
> some are easier
> to work with, or at least lend themselves to certain
> kinds of
> sonorities or facility, but given the fact that
> somebody like Scelsi
> could write interesting pieces using only *one note*
> (and others have
> also) leads one to believe that practically
> *anything*, anything that
> makes sound or any sounds/scales are "fair game..."
>
> J. Pehrson
>
>
>

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