Response to New Lurker

> Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:23:15 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Magnus Jonsson <magnus@smartelectronix.com>
> Subject: New lurker
>
> http://magnus.smartelectronix.com/examples/just-intonation/
>
> (Yes, they all end abruptly)
>
> Here are some personal findings I've made about just intonation:
>
> - The harmonic series is more pleasant than the subharmonic
> series in polyphonic music and perhaps even in monophonic.
>
> - Lack of pitch drift can give ear fatigue. But excessive pitch
> drift is not pleasant either.

>
> - Using a drone encourages more creative/touching melody.

A drone gives you a tonal "anchor".

> Harmony
> tends to constrict the melody.

Encourages you to use only pitches which "match" the scale

> I suspect there's a trade-off between
> melody and harmony. Does anyone have similar or contradicting > experience?
>
>

I also found this trade-off of melody versus harmony particularly noticeable when I experiment with JI (integer frequency ratios) tunings;
which influenced me to look elsewhere to reconcile the conflicts inherent in this type of tuning.
The integer ratios are useful to generate and analyse beat patterns; yet to produce interesting harmonious music,
I have found that you need to look elsewhere to calculate interval sizes for your scales.

> By this I mean the following cycle in the diatonic scale:
>
> C==>E==>G==>B==>D==>F==>A==>C
>
> Does this have some recognized name?

How about a circle of 7 thirds?

Charles Lucy - lucy@harmonics.com
------------ Promoting global harmony through LucyTuning -------
for information on LucyTuning go to: http://www.lucytune.com
for LucyTuned Lullabies go to http://www.lullabies.co.uk
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Have you settled for any specific system?

On Mon, 12 Sep 2005, Charles Lucy wrote:

> I also found this trade-off of melody versus harmony particularly
> noticeable when I experiment with JI (integer frequency ratios) tunings;
> which influenced me to look elsewhere to reconcile the conflicts
> inherent in this type of tuning.
> The integer ratios are useful to generate and analyse beat patterns;
> yet to produce interesting harmonious music,
> I have found that you need to look elsewhere to calculate interval
> sizes for your scales.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Charles Lucy <lucy@h...> wrote:
>
> > Date: Sun, 11 Sep 2005 18:23:15 -0400 (EDT)
> > From: Magnus Jonsson <magnus@s...>
> > Subject: New lurker
> >
........
> >
> > - Using a drone encourages more creative/touching melody.
>
> A drone gives you a tonal "anchor".

The tonality doesnt have to remain anchored. Note in classical forms
that use an extended dominant pedal, the tonality can fluxate above
the drone. Spectrally rich drones also provide overtone information
from which to derive scale intonation, not necessarily in perfect
harmonic series. The fundamental pitch may not even be present.

>
> > Harmony
> > tends to constrict the melody.
>
> Encourages you to use only pitches which "match" the scale

Harmonic rhythm can push the melody in different directions, new tonal
centers.

>
> > I suspect there's a trade-off between
> > melody and harmony. Does anyone have similar or contradicting
> > experience?
> >
> >
>
> I also found this trade-off of melody versus harmony particularly
> noticeable when I experiment with JI (integer frequency ratios) tunings;
> which influenced me to look elsewhere to reconcile the conflicts
> inherent in this type of tuning.
> The integer ratios are useful to generate and analyse beat patterns;
> yet to produce interesting harmonious music,
> I have found that you need to look elsewhere to calculate interval
> sizes for your scales.
>
> > By this I mean the following cycle in the diatonic scale:
> >
> > C==>E==>G==>B==>D==>F==>A==>C
> >
> > Does this have some recognized name?
>
> How about a circle of 7 thirds?
>

Some sort of C13(Maj7), or a stack of diatonic thirds, or odd notes
followed by even notes, or the heptatonic scale. But how do you tune
that, respecting diatonicism.

> ...