Composing in meantone page

Here's a new web page on my site:

http://66.98.148.43/~xenharmo/composing.htm

Comments?

>Here's a new web page on my site:
>
>http://66.98.148.43/~xenharmo/composing.htm
>
>Comments?

Nice job. Now if we could only get you to explain your math
stuff in a similar manner!

BTW, you say, "Spelling correctly is the key to composing in
meantone." but I don't see a discussion of how to spell
correctly in MIDI. . .

-Carl

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <ekin@l...> wrote:
> >Here's a new web page on my site:
> >
> >http://66.98.148.43/~xenharmo/composing.htm
> >
> >Comments?
>
> Nice job. Now if we could only get you to explain your math
> stuff in a similar manner!

Yes, this is really excellent!

> BTW, you say, "Spelling correctly is the key to composing in
> meantone." but I don't see a discussion of how to spell
> correctly in MIDI. . .

Gene did explain that adjustments to spelling must be done in
the .seq file. That's because MIDI numbers don't make a distinction
between sharps and flats.

BTW, in case anyone wants to respell any of the notes in 31-ET with
characters representing semisharps and semiflats, the ";" (down)
and "|" (up) characters in notation E31 may not be too desirable for
this purpose. There's another notation that uses the "v" (down)
and "^" (up) characters instead, in addition to the conventional bb,
b, #, and x characters. In Scala enter the commands:

set notation sa31
set sagi mixed short

--George

>Gene did explain that adjustments to spelling must be done in
>the .seq file.

Ah, thanks; I musta missed that.

>That's because MIDI numbers don't make a distinction
>between sharps and flats.

There's a "key" message in MIDI, isn't there? I've fantasized
it could be used for microtonal purposes.

See...

http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/lenny/midi/tech/mfile.html

...near the very bottom.

-Carl

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Carl Lumma <ekin@l...> wrote:
> >Gene did explain that adjustments to spelling must be done in
> >the .seq file.
>
> Ah, thanks; I musta missed that.
>
> >That's because MIDI numbers don't make a distinction
> >between sharps and flats.
>
> There's a "key" message in MIDI, isn't there? I've fantasized
> it could be used for microtonal purposes.
>
> See...
>
> http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/lenny/midi/tech/mfile.html
>
> ...near the very bottom.
>
> -Carl

Okay, it says "key signature", i.e., the number of sharps or flats in
the key signature. While that would determine the way that notes
would be spelled, it would make choices in such a way as to avoid the
more unusual meantone spellings that a microtonalist would be
interested in.

--George

>> >Gene did explain that adjustments to spelling must be done in
>> >the .seq file.
>>
>> Ah, thanks; I musta missed that.
>>
>> >That's because MIDI numbers don't make a distinction
>> >between sharps and flats.
>>
>> There's a "key" message in MIDI, isn't there? I've fantasized
>> it could be used for microtonal purposes.
>>
>> See...
>>
>> http://users.argonet.co.uk/users/lenny/midi/tech/mfile.html
>>
>> ...near the very bottom.
>>
>> -Carl
>
>Okay, it says "key signature", i.e., the number of sharps or flats in
>the key signature. While that would determine the way that notes
>would be spelled, it would make choices in such a way as to avoid the
>more unusual meantone spellings that a microtonalist would be
>interested in.

It could be done with rapid key changes -- might not make for a
pretty MIDI events list, but what the hey.

-Carl

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "George D. Secor" <gdsecor@y...> wrote:

> Okay, it says "key signature", i.e., the number of sharps or flats in
> the key signature. While that would determine the way that notes
> would be spelled, it would make choices in such a way as to avoid the
> more unusual meantone spellings that a microtonalist would be
> interested in.

I'd regard that as a feature, not a bug. What would be a very worthy
and useful addition to Scala would be to have it notate a range of
twelve notes suggested by the key signature, for as long as that
signature was valid. When it changed, the notation should change. If
the key signature number was -1, notes would run from Ab to C#, and if
it changed to 0 (C), it would then run from Eb to G#. The notation
system could be the same "Pythagorean" P31, running from Fbb to Bx.