MIDI JI software and Carillon Update

Denny Genovese wrote a dos program that uses the pitch bend control on a
sythensizer to play JI scales in real time. He may be reached at
interval@ixpres.com. I believe there are other programs available from the
allegedly defunct mills college ftp site. Two programs come to mind:
"Scala" and "Fasttrac". I have Fasttrac if you want it.

I have used the pitch bend control in Cakewalk to generate just intervals,
although process is slow. If you are interested exploring scales in a
simple way (ie not in the context of music) then a small program called
"Chime" may suit your needs. It allows you to create your own scales based
on just ratios or 12TET cents in a text editor. It comes with a great
variety of theoretical, historical, and observed scale tunings from
throughout the world. I will upload the program to you if you like.

>>>
>I'm interested in using a MIDI system (XG or GS) to explore alternate
>tunings in a more elegant way. Are there any sequencers for this?
>Does MIDI support different tunings?

>Calin

While I'm at it here's an update on the Carillon restoration and retuning
that I have undertaken. As a reminder, this carillon is a 1961 5 octave
Schulmerich bell instrument that uses tuned steel bars, solenoid strikers
and magnetic pickups to attempt to reproduce the sound of cast bell
carillons through large PA speakers. It includes a keyboard controller,
mechanical roll player with timers and paper rolls.

Various members of this list have been very helpful in leading me down the
proper path to creating what will perhaps be the only "carillon" tuned in
JI. Thanks to those of you who have helped.

Attempts to retune the original bars have proved entirely futile, as
retuning significantly alters the pleasant timbre of the original bars. I
have finally acquired one of the patents for this instrument, and this
document has proved invaluable in shedding light on its design. The bars
are engineered in such a way that the inharmonic partials are tuned so that
the first 3 or 4 are in octave relationship. This is accomplished by
cutting grooves from each end at distance between .195 and .205 the total
length of the bar, essentially making the bar thinner at these points.
This process gets the partials nearly in tune and fine
tuning is accomplished by fixing 3 brass collars on each bar. Each bar is
equiped with two strikers, one that emphasizes the 1st and 2nd partials,
and one that emphasizes the 3rd and 4th partials.

The patent also comes with a graph that plots the how grooving the bars
through a range changes the interval relationships between the partials.
The grooving range is from 0 to .500 of the total length, curve that each
partial takes over the range resembles of rough sign wave.
Based on this graph it seems that it would be possible to fine tune bars to
a variety of different timbres that would achieve consonance. If any one
is interested I will upload this graph to a website.

Since retuning of the orignal bars is probably not possible, I am
endeavoring to manufacture new bars, most probably of aluminum.

The tuning for the instrument will be a matrix of harmonics and
subharmonics. The keyboard is being replaced with a matrix keyboard midi
controller and the roll player will be replaced with any simple sequencing
program.

Darren Burgess
South East Just Intonation Society
Gainesville, FL

PS: I have just received my copy of the tuning list CD. Excellent work,
gentleman!