Yahoo Tuning Groups Ultimate Backup tuning Robert Wendell is back after several years

My warmest greetings to everyone! I just listened to Shahin's samples
with great interest! I have long been a lover of Persian music and I
hear the influence even in those compositions using scales unrelated
to those that are traditional Persian.

I recognize my old friends Gene Smith and Carl Lumma. Is Paul Erlich
still active here? I have missed you gentlemen! I have been very
busy. I returned to graduate school 37 years after earning my B.A. in
Music Education and just finished a Master of Music in Choral
Conducting at the University of Florida (3.95/4.0 GPA; one B+ in my
first semester) at a young 62 years of age. I'm still in Gainesville
looking to use my newly earned degree professionally.

I've also had substantial first-hand exposure to the untuned (as
opposed to unwashed) masses in academia, including a sadly high
number of professors who dismiss anything approaching precision in
tuning as anal retentive. It's refreshing to see for myself once
again that those of us who feel precision tuning just might have some
importance in the overall scheme of general musicality have not all
evaporated into some species of tonally amorphous cosmic void.

Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
Angelicus Choral Society, which I had to leave sadly after ten years
in order to come back to school. I was very much into adaptive just
intonation in the a cappella performance of common practice music,
mostly renaissance, baroque and classical, and of course remain
interested in microtonal composition.

I have since greatly refined my techniques for training choirs to
sing this way, including a strong component of digital sound
production and recording techology. I developed a formal choral
training workshop that I have delivered professionally with
astounding results. No one has been more surprised than I at the
effectiveness of these techniques, which have a solid foundation in
psychoacoustics in the special case of tuning with timbres of high
harmonicity (e.g., the human voice, organ, strings, winds, etc).

I also tested this training approach statistically with UF music
majors, including one graduate student and one faculty. I got a 99.9%
confidence level with the most conservative statistical method
(Wilcoxon Ranked Difference) after a maximum of four hours exposure
(1/2 hour/week for 8 weeks) to the training. Most of the measurements
were objective. The only one that was subjective has an objective
basis in ranked digital recordings available to interested reviewers
and it ranked roughly the same way as the objective components. The
99.9% confidence level was of the total composite score. All but one
of the component scores showed individual confidence levels of 99.7%
or higher, and the lowest confidence level was 96.3%.

I would love to hear something of what has transpired in the lives of
those who still may recognize me from that ancient past, the two
years during which I was a very active participant here.

Most sincerely,

Robert
Robert P. Wendell

🔗Ozan Yarman <ozanyarman@ozanyarman.com>

Greetings Robert!

Having known you only by mention of your synchronous temperaments, I, a
Turkish muslim musician (a piano graduate from the Brussels Royal
Conservatory & recently of the Mutazilah inclination), have been keeping the
tuning list company during the latter year of your absence. Though, I fear
my presence was more an occasion for ruckus than actual microtonal progress!

Nevertheless, being the dashing amateur that I am, I have come up with an
interesting tuning that I implemented on my personal Qanun some months ago.
If you dig up the posts of the past week, you will encounter the
announcement I made concerning a presentation I delivered on this subject
past Sunday.

Anyhow, the tuning is identified as 79-tone Moment of Symmetry out of
159-tET by Gene Ward Smith. Though, I suppose, latest modifications
qualifies it as a temperament in its own right:

0: 262.0000 Hertz
1: 264.2500 Hertz
2: 266.7500 Hertz
3: 269.0000 Hertz
4: 271.5000 Hertz
5: 273.7500 Hertz
6: 276.2500 Hertz
7: 278.5000 Hertz
8: 281.0000 Hertz
9: 283.5000 Hertz
10: 286.0000 Hertz
11: 288.5000 Hertz
12: 291.0000 Hertz
13: 293.5000 Hertz
14: 296.0000 Hertz
15: 298.7500 Hertz
16: 301.2500 Hertz
17: 304.0000 Hertz
18: 306.5000 Hertz
19: 309.2500 Hertz
20: 312.0000 Hertz
21: 314.7500 Hertz
22: 317.5000 Hertz
23: 320.2500 Hertz
24: 323.0000 Hertz
25: 326.0000 Hertz
26: 328.7500 Hertz
27: 331.7500 Hertz
28: 334.5000 Hertz
29: 337.5000 Hertz
30: 340.5000 Hertz
31: 343.5000 Hertz
32: 346.5000 Hertz
33: 349.5000 Hertz
34: 352.5000 Hertz
35: 355.5000 Hertz
36: 358.7500 Hertz
37: 361.7500 Hertz
38: 365.0000 Hertz
39: 368.2500 Hertz
40: 371.5000 Hertz
41: 374.7500 Hertz
42: 378.0000 Hertz
43: 381.2500 Hertz
44: 384.5000 Hertz
45: 388.0000 Hertz
46: 393.0000 Hertz
47: 396.5000 Hertz
48: 400.0000 Hertz
49: 403.5000 Hertz
50: 407.0000 Hertz
51: 410.5000 Hertz
52: 414.0000 Hertz
53: 417.7500 Hertz
54: 421.2500 Hertz
55: 425.0000 Hertz
56: 428.7500 Hertz
57: 432.5000 Hertz
58: 436.2500 Hertz
59: 440.0000 Hertz
60: 443.7500 Hertz
61: 447.7500 Hertz
62: 452.0000 Hertz
63: 456.0000 Hertz
64: 459.7500 Hertz
65: 463.7500 Hertz
66: 468.0000 Hertz
67: 472.0000 Hertz
68: 476.0000 Hertz
69: 480.2500 Hertz
70: 484.5000 Hertz
71: 488.7500 Hertz
72: 493.0000 Hertz
73: 497.2500 Hertz
74: 501.5000 Hertz
75: 506.0000 Hertz
76: 510.2500 Hertz
77: 514.7500 Hertz
78: 519.2500 Hertz
79: 524.0000 Hertz

I utilize this tuning to elucidate the Maqamat underlying Middle Eastern
genres, including Persian Dastgah Music.

A hearty welcome to you Effendi!

Cordially,
Ozan Yarman

----- Original Message -----
From: "Robert Wendell" <rwendell@cangelic.org>
To: <tuning@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 04 Haziran 2006 Pazar 4:08
Subject: [tuning] Robert Wendell is back after several years

> My warmest greetings to everyone! I just listened to Shahin's samples
> with great interest! I have long been a lover of Persian music and I
> hear the influence even in those compositions using scales unrelated
> to those that are traditional Persian.
>
> I recognize my old friends Gene Smith and Carl Lumma. Is Paul Erlich
> still active here? I have missed you gentlemen! I have been very
> busy. I returned to graduate school 37 years after earning my B.A. in
> Music Education and just finished a Master of Music in Choral
> Conducting at the University of Florida (3.95/4.0 GPA; one B+ in my
> first semester) at a young 62 years of age. I'm still in Gainesville
> looking to use my newly earned degree professionally.
>
> I've also had substantial first-hand exposure to the untuned (as
> opposed to unwashed) masses in academia, including a sadly high
> number of professors who dismiss anything approaching precision in
> tuning as anal retentive. It's refreshing to see for myself once
> again that those of us who feel precision tuning just might have some
> importance in the overall scheme of general musicality have not all
> evaporated into some species of tonally amorphous cosmic void.
>
> Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
> Angelicus Choral Society, which I had to leave sadly after ten years
> in order to come back to school. I was very much into adaptive just
> intonation in the a cappella performance of common practice music,
> mostly renaissance, baroque and classical, and of course remain
> interested in microtonal composition.
>
> I have since greatly refined my techniques for training choirs to
> sing this way, including a strong component of digital sound
> production and recording techology. I developed a formal choral
> training workshop that I have delivered professionally with
> astounding results. No one has been more surprised than I at the
> effectiveness of these techniques, which have a solid foundation in
> psychoacoustics in the special case of tuning with timbres of high
> harmonicity (e.g., the human voice, organ, strings, winds, etc).
>
> I also tested this training approach statistically with UF music
> majors, including one graduate student and one faculty. I got a 99.9%
> confidence level with the most conservative statistical method
> (Wilcoxon Ranked Difference) after a maximum of four hours exposure
> (1/2 hour/week for 8 weeks) to the training. Most of the measurements
> were objective. The only one that was subjective has an objective
> basis in ranked digital recordings available to interested reviewers
> and it ranked roughly the same way as the objective components. The
> 99.9% confidence level was of the total composite score. All but one
> of the component scores showed individual confidence levels of 99.7%
> or higher, and the lowest confidence level was 96.3%.
>
> I would love to hear something of what has transpired in the lives of
> those who still may recognize me from that ancient past, the two
> years during which I was a very active participant here.
>
> Most sincerely,
>
> Robert
> Robert P. Wendell
>
>
>

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@coolgoose.com>

🔗Carl Lumma <clumma@yahoo.com>

🔗Gene Ward Smith <genewardsmith@coolgoose.com>

🔗Carl Lumma <clumma@yahoo.com>

🔗Robert Wendell <rwendell@cangelic.org>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@...> wrote:

> > I'm still in Gainesville
> > looking to use my newly earned degree professionally.
>
> I never knew you were in Gainesville. Denny Genovese used
> to have his "exotic music ensemble" there. I studied there
> for several months in 1997.

I never told anyone here I was going to Gainesville. I'd been offline
here for a long time when I decided to do this. I had been laid off
and couldn't find work in my little rural Iowa town of around 9,600
population and tried to find work in music elsewhere to no avail. My
lack of an advanced degree was a big inhibiting factor, so I decided
to do something about it. I could have never gotten a graduate
assistantship on the basis of my undergraduate transcripts either,
which were lously (2.85/4.0 GPA and only 3.1 in my major area). It
was my Cantus Angelicus recordings that did the trick.
>
> > Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
> > Angelicus Choral Society,
>
> Yup -- I've got the CD.
>
Great! Hope you enjoy it, Carl.

> > I also tested this training approach statistically with UF
> > music majors, including one graduate student and one faculty.
> > I got a 99.9% confidence level with the most conservative
> > statistical method (Wilcoxon Ranked Difference) after a maximum
> > of four hours exposure (1/2 hour/week for 8 weeks) to the
> > training.
>
> In what test?
Pitch discrimination, harmonic tuning judgments, active tuning of
unisons and major thirds with the voice to an electronic keyboard.

> > Most of the measurements were objective.
>
> What kind of measurements were they?

For pitch discrimination we check the ability to discriminate the
direction of change up or down of a microtonal increment using a
binary sequence (45 cents, then 5, 25, 35 or 15 depending on whether
they got it right or not, etc.). This assesses their ability to
discriminate pitch increments by finding where they fall within 5
cent increments from 5 to 45 cents. There were some that stopped at
20 cents! They were instrumental majors. A few could do five right
off the bat, and as you might suspect, these were at the high end in
performance respects as well. Most of these improved to three cents
after the training. All the rest made it down to five.

The harmonic tuning test used a harmonic timbre and 217-tET to check
the ability to detect a "perfect" tuning (217-tET yields near-perfect
tunings for 5-limit JI) or variations from it in the 5.530-cent
increments intrinsic to this ET. It tested the P5 and M3 by varying
the top pitch. They had to indicate on paper with a circle whether
the pitch was pure, sharp, or flat, and whether it was a purer or
worse tuning than the previous one. The tunings varied from pure by
as much as as six increments or about 1/3 of an ET semitone.

The answers were weighted according to difficulty (weighted inversely
with the degree of variation from pure or degree of change in tuning
for the purer or worse than the previous tuning). I was amazed to
find out how poorly most of them performed on these tests initially,
but most of them had improved significantly after the training and
some improvements were absolutely dramatic.

>
> > I would love to hear something of what has transpired in the
> > lives of those who still may recognize me from that ancient
> > past, the two years during which I was a very active
> > participant here.
>
> I got married and had a kid. Worked at Keyboard magazine
> for a year. Tried to keep up with theory developments around
> here, which have been significant.
>
> -Carl
>
So you got married and had a kid! Hope you still have the kid! :)
Congratulations! I notice things have gotten pretty sophisticated
here. A lot is over my head, as was always the case, especially where
Gene Smith and Paul Erlich's math was concerned. I can participate
knowledgeably in some areas, though, I believe (hope). I would like
to learn how to manipulate midi files, especially learn about tools
that simplify this beyond direct text edits inside the files. I would
also like to learn how to use C-Sound, I believe it's called, or
whatever else is recommended these days. I'm interested in getting
more into composing, although choral training with an emphasis on
intonation is still my big thrust professionally. Shahin's files
inspire me to develop my abilities to manipulate the technology that
way!

🔗Robert Wendell <rwendell@cangelic.org>

🔗Carl Lumma <clumma@yahoo.com>

🔗George D. Secor <gdsecor@yahoo.com>

🔗Carl Lumma <clumma@yahoo.com>

🔗George D. Secor <gdsecor@yahoo.com>

🔗Carl Lumma <clumma@yahoo.com>

🔗Ozan Yarman <ozanyarman@ozanyarman.com>

🔗Robert Wendell <rwendell@cangelic.org>

I did check out that link (wow!) and after listening to the
barbershop harmony, I went to the Celemony Website and other related
sites providing reviews, comments, ads, etc. Very interesting. My
Choral Society still exists, although it is inactive for now. I have
some thoughts off and on about reviving it somewhere.

At any rate, it's 501(c)3 non-profit, so that puts Melodyne much more
within financial reach. I've been a student for two years with all
the money going the wrong way. I was debt-free before, and now I have
debt, but nothing to quirm over. I've been lucky with a part-time
choral training consultant job that has paid very well and thus been
a real God-send in terms making everything possible. Gotta be
grateful!

Cheers,

Robert

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Carl Lumma" <clumma@...> wrote:
>
> > So you got married and had a kid! Hope you still have the kid! :)
> > Congratulations! I notice things have gotten pretty sophisticated
> > here. A lot is over my head, as was always the case, especially
> > where Gene Smith and Paul Erlich's math was concerned. I can
> > participate knowledgeably in some areas, though, I believe (hope).
> > I would like to learn how to manipulate midi files, especially
> > learn about tools that simplify this beyond direct text edits
> > inside the files. I would also like to learn how to use C-Sound,
> > I believe it's called, or whatever else is recommended these days.
> > I'm interested in getting more into composing, although choral
> > training with an emphasis on intonation is still my big thrust
> > professionally. Shahin's files inspire me to develop my abilities
> > to manipulate the technology that way!
>
> Do you know about Celemony Melodyne? A guy like
> you might make a mark with it. Check what Aaron Wolf
> did with it!
>
> http://www.harmonize.com/motorcity/bachelors/members.html
>
> -Carl
>

🔗Robert Wendell <rwendell@cangelic.org>

I feel rather humbled again upon finding myself in such august
company! Most of you are way ahead of me in tuning theory, but I feel
very strong in terms of the training capabilities I have developed
both before and especially since my earlier time with this group.

I want to say that some of the newer and more powerful aspects of my
training approach would not have occurred to me or been possible
without the knowledge I gained from my participation here. I bow
humbly before you all!

Sincerely,

Robert

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Ozan Yarman" <ozanyarman@...> wrote:
>
> Greetings Robert!
>
> Having known you only by mention of your synchronous temperaments,
I, a
> Turkish muslim musician (a piano graduate from the Brussels Royal
> Conservatory & recently of the Mutazilah inclination), have been
keeping the
> tuning list company during the latter year of your absence. Though,
I fear
> my presence was more an occasion for ruckus than actual microtonal
progress!
>
> Nevertheless, being the dashing amateur that I am, I have come up
with an
> interesting tuning that I implemented on my personal Qanun some
months ago.
> If you dig up the posts of the past week, you will encounter the
> announcement I made concerning a presentation I delivered on this
subject
> past Sunday.
>
> Anyhow, the tuning is identified as 79-tone Moment of Symmetry out
of
> 159-tET by Gene Ward Smith. Though, I suppose, latest modifications
> qualifies it as a temperament in its own right:
>
> 79 MOS 159tET based on simple frequencies (notation is Sagittal 79-
tET)
> |
> 0: 1/1 C
> 1: 14.804 cents C/| Dbb
> 2: 31.106 cents C|) Dbb/|
> 3: 45.647 cents C/|\ Dbb|)
> 4: 61.662 cents C#!) Db\!/
> 5: 75.951 cents C#\! Db!)
> 6: 91.689 cents C# Db\!
> 7: 105.733 cents C#/| Db
> 8: 121.204 cents C#|) Db/|
> 9: 136.538 cents C#/|\ Db|)
> 10: 151.738 cents Cx!) D\!/
> 11: 166.805 cents Cx\! D!)
> 12: 181.743 cents Cx D\!
> 13: 196.552 cents D
> 14: 211.236 cents D/| Ebb
> 15: 227.246 cents D|) Ebb/|
> 16: 241.673 cents D/|\ Ebb|)
> 17: 257.405 cents D#!) Eb\!/
> 18: 271.584 cents D#\! Eb!)
> 19: 287.048 cents D# Eb\!
> 20: 302.375 cents D#/| Eb
> 21: 317.567 cents D#|) Eb/|
> 22: 332.628 cents D#/|\ Eb|)
> 23: 347.558 cents Dx!) E\!/
> 24: 362.361 cents Dx\! E!)
> 25: 378.366 cents Dx E\!
> 26: 392.909 cents E
> 27: 408.636 cents E/| Fb
> 28: 422.927 cents E|) Fb/|
> 29: 438.385 cents E/|\ Fb|)
> 30: 453.706 cents E#!) F\!/
> 31: 468.892 cents E#\! F!)
> 32: 483.946 cents E# F\!
> 33: 498.871 cents F
> 34: 513.668 cents F/| Gbb
> 35: 528.339 cents F|) Gbb/|
> 36: 544.094 cents F/|\ Gbb|)
> 37: 558.511 cents F#!) Gb\!/
> 38: 573.996 cents F#\! Gb!)
> 39: 589.342 cents F# Gb\!
> 40: 604.554 cents F#/| Gb
> 41: 619.634 cents F#|) Gb/|
> 42: 634.583 cents F#/|\ Gb|)
> 43: 649.405 cents Fx!) G\!/
> 44: 664.100 cents Fx\! G!)
> 45: 679.788 cents Fx G\!
> 46: 701.955 cents G
> 47: 717.305 cents G/| Abb
> 48: 732.520 cents G|) Abb/|
> 49: 747.602 cents G/|\ Abb|)
> 50: 762.554 cents G#!) Ab\!/
> 51: 777.378 cents G#\! Ab!)
> 52: 792.077 cents G# Ab\!
> 53: 807.688 cents G#/| Ab
> 54: 822.132 cents G#|) Ab/|
> 55: 837.475 cents G#/|\ Ab|)
> 56: 852.684 cents Gx!) A\!/
> 57: 867.760 cents Gx\! A!)
> 58: 882.706 cents Gx A\!
> 59: 897.524 cents A
> 60: 912.216 cents A/| Bbb
> 61: 927.752 cents A|) Bbb/|
> 62: 944.107 cents A/|\ Bbb|)
> 63: 959.360 cents A#!) Bb\!/
> 64: 973.539 cents A#\! Bb!)
> 65: 988.537 cents A# Bb\!
> 66: 1004.330 cents A#/| Bb
> 67: 1019.064 cents A#|) Bb/|
> 68: 1033.674 cents A#/|\ Bb|)
> 69: 1049.063 cents Ax!) B\!/
> 70: 1064.316 cents Ax\! B!)
> 71: 1079.436 cents Ax B\!
> 72: 1094.425 cents B
> 73: 1109.285 cents B/| Cb
> 74: 1124.019 cents B|) Cb/|
> 75: 1139.485 cents B/|\ Cb|)
> 76: 1153.965 cents B#!) C\!/
> 77: 1169.166 cents B#\! C!)
> 78: 1184.235 cents B# C\!
> 79: 1200.000 cents C
>
>
> 0: 262.0000 Hertz
> 1: 264.2500 Hertz
> 2: 266.7500 Hertz
> 3: 269.0000 Hertz
> 4: 271.5000 Hertz
> 5: 273.7500 Hertz
> 6: 276.2500 Hertz
> 7: 278.5000 Hertz
> 8: 281.0000 Hertz
> 9: 283.5000 Hertz
> 10: 286.0000 Hertz
> 11: 288.5000 Hertz
> 12: 291.0000 Hertz
> 13: 293.5000 Hertz
> 14: 296.0000 Hertz
> 15: 298.7500 Hertz
> 16: 301.2500 Hertz
> 17: 304.0000 Hertz
> 18: 306.5000 Hertz
> 19: 309.2500 Hertz
> 20: 312.0000 Hertz
> 21: 314.7500 Hertz
> 22: 317.5000 Hertz
> 23: 320.2500 Hertz
> 24: 323.0000 Hertz
> 25: 326.0000 Hertz
> 26: 328.7500 Hertz
> 27: 331.7500 Hertz
> 28: 334.5000 Hertz
> 29: 337.5000 Hertz
> 30: 340.5000 Hertz
> 31: 343.5000 Hertz
> 32: 346.5000 Hertz
> 33: 349.5000 Hertz
> 34: 352.5000 Hertz
> 35: 355.5000 Hertz
> 36: 358.7500 Hertz
> 37: 361.7500 Hertz
> 38: 365.0000 Hertz
> 39: 368.2500 Hertz
> 40: 371.5000 Hertz
> 41: 374.7500 Hertz
> 42: 378.0000 Hertz
> 43: 381.2500 Hertz
> 44: 384.5000 Hertz
> 45: 388.0000 Hertz
> 46: 393.0000 Hertz
> 47: 396.5000 Hertz
> 48: 400.0000 Hertz
> 49: 403.5000 Hertz
> 50: 407.0000 Hertz
> 51: 410.5000 Hertz
> 52: 414.0000 Hertz
> 53: 417.7500 Hertz
> 54: 421.2500 Hertz
> 55: 425.0000 Hertz
> 56: 428.7500 Hertz
> 57: 432.5000 Hertz
> 58: 436.2500 Hertz
> 59: 440.0000 Hertz
> 60: 443.7500 Hertz
> 61: 447.7500 Hertz
> 62: 452.0000 Hertz
> 63: 456.0000 Hertz
> 64: 459.7500 Hertz
> 65: 463.7500 Hertz
> 66: 468.0000 Hertz
> 67: 472.0000 Hertz
> 68: 476.0000 Hertz
> 69: 480.2500 Hertz
> 70: 484.5000 Hertz
> 71: 488.7500 Hertz
> 72: 493.0000 Hertz
> 73: 497.2500 Hertz
> 74: 501.5000 Hertz
> 75: 506.0000 Hertz
> 76: 510.2500 Hertz
> 77: 514.7500 Hertz
> 78: 519.2500 Hertz
> 79: 524.0000 Hertz
>
>
> I utilize this tuning to elucidate the Maqamat underlying Middle
Eastern
> genres, including Persian Dastgah Music.
>
> A hearty welcome to you Effendi!
>
> Cordially,
> Ozan Yarman
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Robert Wendell" <rwendell@...>
> To: <tuning@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: 04 Haziran 2006 Pazar 4:08
> Subject: [tuning] Robert Wendell is back after several years
>
>
> > My warmest greetings to everyone! I just listened to Shahin's
samples
> > with great interest! I have long been a lover of Persian music
and I
> > hear the influence even in those compositions using scales
unrelated
> > to those that are traditional Persian.
> >
> > I recognize my old friends Gene Smith and Carl Lumma. Is Paul
Erlich
> > still active here? I have missed you gentlemen! I have been very
> > busy. I returned to graduate school 37 years after earning my
B.A. in
> > Music Education and just finished a Master of Music in Choral
> > Conducting at the University of Florida (3.95/4.0 GPA; one B+ in
my
> > first semester) at a young 62 years of age. I'm still in
Gainesville
> > looking to use my newly earned degree professionally.
> >
> > I've also had substantial first-hand exposure to the untuned (as
> > opposed to unwashed) masses in academia, including a sadly high
> > number of professors who dismiss anything approaching precision in
> > tuning as anal retentive. It's refreshing to see for myself once
> > again that those of us who feel precision tuning just might have
some
> > importance in the overall scheme of general musicality have not
all
> > evaporated into some species of tonally amorphous cosmic void.
> >
> > Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
> > Angelicus Choral Society, which I had to leave sadly after ten
years
> > in order to come back to school. I was very much into adaptive
just
> > intonation in the a cappella performance of common practice music,
> > mostly renaissance, baroque and classical, and of course remain
> > interested in microtonal composition.
> >
> > I have since greatly refined my techniques for training choirs to
> > sing this way, including a strong component of digital sound
> > production and recording techology. I developed a formal choral
> > training workshop that I have delivered professionally with
> > astounding results. No one has been more surprised than I at the
> > effectiveness of these techniques, which have a solid foundation
in
> > psychoacoustics in the special case of tuning with timbres of high
> > harmonicity (e.g., the human voice, organ, strings, winds, etc).
> >
> > I also tested this training approach statistically with UF music
> > majors, including one graduate student and one faculty. I got a
99.9%
> > confidence level with the most conservative statistical method
> > (Wilcoxon Ranked Difference) after a maximum of four hours
exposure
> > (1/2 hour/week for 8 weeks) to the training. Most of the
measurements
> > were objective. The only one that was subjective has an objective
> > basis in ranked digital recordings available to interested
reviewers
> > and it ranked roughly the same way as the objective components.
The
> > 99.9% confidence level was of the total composite score. All but
one
> > of the component scores showed individual confidence levels of
99.7%
> > or higher, and the lowest confidence level was 96.3%.
> >
> > I would love to hear something of what has transpired in the
lives of
> > those who still may recognize me from that ancient past, the two
> > years during which I was a very active participant here.
> >
> > Most sincerely,
> >
> > Robert
> > Robert P. Wendell
> >
> >
> >
>

🔗yahya_melb <yahya@melbpc.org.au>

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Robert Wendell" <rwendell@...> wrote:
>
> My warmest greetings to everyone!

You won't know me yet, but allow me to say:
Welcome back, Robert! Your fame precedes you!

> I just listened to Shahin's
> samples with great interest! I have long been a lover of Persian
> music and I hear the influence even in those compositions using
> scales unrelated to those that are traditional Persian.
>
> I recognize my old friends Gene Smith and Carl Lumma. Is Paul
> Erlich still active here? I have missed you gentlemen! I have been
> very busy. I returned to graduate school 37 years after earning my
> B.A. in Music Education and just finished a Master of Music in
> Choral Conducting at the University of Florida (3.95/4.0 GPA; one
> B+ in my first semester) at a young 62 years of age. I'm still in
> Gainesville looking to use my newly earned degree professionally.

A wonderful achievement, that others may hope
(yet struggle) to emulate.

[snip]

> Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
> Angelicus Choral Society, which I had to leave sadly after ten
> years in order to come back to school. I was very much into
> adaptive just intonation in the a cappella performance of common
> practice music, mostly renaissance, baroque and classical, and of
> course remain interested in microtonal composition.

We've discussed adaptive JI onlist at least
twice in the last few months. Do you see it
as a viable practice for new music too?

> I have since greatly refined my techniques for training choirs to
> sing this way, including a strong component of digital sound
> production and recording techology. I developed a formal choral
> training workshop that I have delivered professionally with
> astounding results. No one has been more surprised than I at the
> effectiveness of these techniques, which have a solid foundation
> in psychoacoustics in the special case of tuning with timbres of
> high harmonicity (e.g., the human voice, organ, strings, winds,
> etc).

[snip]

Are we talking of a new, patented "Method"? If not,
can you describe a little more fully the way you use
digital techniques to improve choir training? (Many
choirs are aware of weaknesses they'd like to conquer.)

Pleased to make your acquaintance!

Regards,
Yahya

🔗Robert Wendell <rwendell@cangelic.org>

Hi, Yahya! Pardon the delay in replying. I just haven't had time to
return to this list until just now. Thank you for your warm welcom
and I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, too.

> > Some of you may remember that I founded and directed the Cantus
> > Angelicus Choral Society, which I had to leave sadly after ten
> > years in order to come back to school. I was very much into
> > adaptive just intonation in the a cappella performance of common
> > practice music, mostly renaissance, baroque and classical, and of
> > course remain interested in microtonal composition.
>
> We've discussed adaptive JI onlist at least
> twice in the last few months. Do you see it
> as a viable practice for new music too?

Yes, of course, most particularly that which is written
conventionally in the sense that it still essentially subscribes to
the 12-tone paradigm. I can't help but observe that the top, world-
class string quartets play romantic and post-romantic works conceived
as if in 12-tET (lots of enharmonic modulations, or at least
the use of "enharmonic equivalences" whether modulations or not) in
what is essentially adaptive JI using a kind of tweaked 12-tET as a
basis while tuning just vertical harmonies. It just happens naturally
on instruments that are freely tuned in real time when played by
truly fine musicians.

Having said that, however, I would hate to see that remain the only
new music created. With folks around like you here on this list, I
heave a sigh of relief over what I believe is a very low risk
of that. I would love to see a much more flexible sense of what
constitutes tonal resources become the norm, though, instead of a
freak sideshow or whatever.
>
>
> > I have since greatly refined my techniques for training choirs to
> > sing this way, including a strong component of digital sound
> > production and recording techology. I developed a formal choral
> > training workshop that I have delivered professionally with
> > astounding results. No one has been more surprised than I at the
> > effectiveness of these techniques, which have a solid foundation
> > in psychoacoustics in the special case of tuning with timbres of
> > high harmonicity (e.g., the human voice, organ, strings, winds,
> > etc).
>
> [snip]
>
> Are we talking of a new, patented "Method"? If not,
> can you describe a little more fully the way you use
> digital techniques to improve choir training? (Many
> choirs are aware of weaknesses they'd like to conquer.)
>
Well, it is copyrighted and trademarked, but I do not hesitate to
inform anyone who shows any interest in it concerning exactly what
I'm doing. I have the paper I mentioned and would be happy to email
it to you. If there's enough room, I'll put it in the Files area. I
just ask that anyone using my ideas recognize their source in the
accepted scholarly manner so that it doesn't constitute plagiarism.

Thanks for your interest, Yahya. I have found this approach so
incredibly powerful in terms of awakening professional musicians and
amateurs alike to the true musical value and central importance of
precise intonation that I would not want to leave this world with it
all balled up in some little corner somewhere. I'm constantly amazed
at the short shrift so many professionals give issues of intonation,
especially music educators, most of whom, I would submit, are
completely asleep on this issue. I really want to do everything I can
to help change that!

Sincerely,

Robert