comparative graphs of ancient Greek genera tetrachords

still on the subject of ancient Greek tunings ...

i've just updated the three Tuning Dictionary entries,
for "enharmonic", "chromatic", and "diatonic", each
including a new graph showing the basic tetrachord
structure of the genus according to descriptions by
different ancient Greek theorists:

enharmonic
http://sonic-arts.org/dict/enharm.htm

chromatic
http://sonic-arts.org/dict/chromati.htm

diatonic
http://sonic-arts.org/dict/diatonic.htm

-monz

Hi, monz. Are you using the Oxford translations? Footnotes
would be helpful. Also, I wonder why you do not include ratios, or
cent values rather than ticks, or perhaps both ratios and cent
values. Visitors might like to know from your chart that Ptolomy's
'even diatonic' was 9:10:11:12, for example. Just a thought.

Regards,
Aaron

> i've just updated the three Tuning Dictionary entries,
> for "enharmonic", "chromatic", and "diatonic", each
> including a new graph showing the basic tetrachord
> structure of the genus according to descriptions by
> different ancient Greek theorists:
>
> enharmonic
> http://sonic-arts.org/dict/enharm.htm
>
> chromatic
> http://sonic-arts.org/dict/chromati.htm
>
> diatonic
> http://sonic-arts.org/dict/diatonic.htm
>
>
>
> -monz

hi Aaron,

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "pitchcolor" <Pitchcolor@a...> wrote:

> Hi, monz. Are you using the Oxford translations?

translations of the Greek genus names? no. i'm using
my own. i don't even know what the Oxford translations
are. (what a scholar i am!)

i've just posted here recently concerning my use of
"tense" and "relaxed" for _syntonon_ and _malakon_.
the concept of string tension (as opposed to length)
was essential to Aristoxenos's theory. Ptolemy's
genera were rationalizations of Aristoxenos's vaguely
defined measurements.

it's most unfortunate that Partch used "intense" and "soft"
to translate these two terms ... and most likely he picked
it up from an older reference. i say unfortunate, because
his book is the entry for so many people into the world of
microtonality, and thus many who encounter the Greek
tunings for the first time thru his work also pick up
the bad translations and tend to stick with them, despite
my protests and suggestions for improvement.

> Footnotes would be helpful.

yes, i know. in a more righteous world i would have
copiously footnoted just about all of my work ... but
now it would be a major effort to find all the references
and cite them. perhaps someday (probably long after
i'm dead) some student interested in tuning will note
the contents of my library and do it for me ...

> Also, I wonder why you do not include ratios, or
> cent values rather than ticks, or perhaps both ratios and cent
> values. Visitors might like to know from your chart that Ptolomy's
> 'even diatonic' was 9:10:11:12, for example. Just a thought.
>
> Regards,
> Aaron
>

actually, i do plan to do that. i just happened to take
a look at one of these three pages last night and realized
that all the information was in my book but was not gathered
together in this form, and it didn't appear in any of the
definitions either and should have. so i quickly made the
graphs and stuck them on the pages. i'll get around to
providing lists of all the genera too.

-monz

> > i've just updated the three Tuning Dictionary entries,
> > for "enharmonic", "chromatic", and "diatonic", each
> > including a new graph showing the basic tetrachord
> > structure of the genus according to descriptions by
> > different ancient Greek theorists:
> >
> > enharmonic
> > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/enharm.htm
> >
> > chromatic
> > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/chromati.htm
> >
> > diatonic
> > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/diatonic.htm
> >
> >
> >
> > -monz

hi Aaron and all,

i stayed up all night and made big updates to my
enharmonic, chromatic, and diatonic Dictionary pages.

now there is a detailed examination of the ratios
and cents values for each theorist's genus/genera.

(i also reoriented the graphs to use the Greek
downward reckoning, and corrected a couple of errors
on the graphs as i found them.)

-monz

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "monz" <monz@a...> wrote:

> > Also, I wonder why you do not include ratios, or
> > cent values rather than ticks, or perhaps both ratios
> > and cent values. Visitors might like to know from your
> > chart that Ptolomy's 'even diatonic' was 9:10:11:12,
> > for example. Just a thought.
> >
> > Regards,
> > Aaron
> >
>
>
> actually, i do plan to do that. i just happened to take
> a look at one of these three pages last night and realized
> that all the information was in my book but was not gathered
> together in this form, and it didn't appear in any of the
> definitions either and should have. so i quickly made the
> graphs and stuck them on the pages. i'll get around to
> providing lists of all the genera too.
>
>
>
> -monz
>
>
>
>
> > > i've just updated the three Tuning Dictionary entries,
> > > for "enharmonic", "chromatic", and "diatonic", each
> > > including a new graph showing the basic tetrachord
> > > structure of the genus according to descriptions by
> > > different ancient Greek theorists:
> > >
> > > enharmonic
> > > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/enharm.htm
> > >
> > > chromatic
> > > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/chromati.htm
> > >
> > > diatonic
> > > http://sonic-arts.org/dict/diatonic.htm
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > -monz