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Trying to make a new version of my "Balanced super particular" 7-note scale and need advice

🔗Michael <djtrancendance@...>

4/13/2010 9:03:32 AM

I am trying to figure out how to improve my latest version of a "Balanced Super Particular" (BSP) scale and need some expert advice from this list. :-)

The scale and some of the important interval gaps are as follows:

1 1/1
1.08333 13/12 (10/9 is 1.111111) --------GAP 13/12 (gap is distance between this note and the last note)
1.2083333333 29/12 -----------GAP 10/9 (what do two near-10/9's do?)
1.333333333 4/3 ----------GAP 10/9 (what do two near-10/9's do?)
1.5 27/18 = 3/2 ----------GAP 9/8
1.66666666666 30/18 = 5/3 ---------GAP 10/9
1.83333333333333 (11/6) ----------GAP 11/10
2 -----------GAP 12/11
2.16666666 13/6 ----------GAP to 11/6 = 13/11
2.416666 = 29/12 ------GAP to 5/3 = 1.45 (about 13/9 IE 1.444)

I am trying to get rid of the fact I have two relatively small 13/12 intervals in my old version of this scale "system" and trying for better periodicity with close dyads that branch across the octave IE between 13/6 and 11/6 or 29/12 and 11/6.

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My real problem comes around the area with the 13/12 and 29/12 which has another consecutive "10/9" gaps, only the gaps are not exactly 10/9 and the error adds up.
Fortunately, consecutive 10/9 interval gaps themselves are not so bad as 10/9 * 10/9 = 100/81 which is very near 10/8
AKA 5/4.
Come to think of it, two consecutive 11/10 interval gaps form 121/100,
which is very near 6/5...maybe that can be exploited here or in other
scales as well...BTW is there a formal name for this phenomenon?

I realize that 4/3 over 13/12 is about 1.2307 IE 16/13....and would much rather get that ratio down to something more like 11/9 or lower which knocking off the relationship between other tones more than 6 cents or so (yes, that likely means "tempering").

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Again keep in mind, a huge point of this scale is that the closer the intervals are, the higher stress on periodicity to counter the effects of critical-band closeness of those notes. And, as such, higher note periodicity often has to be compromised to ensure closer dyads are more pure. Though if you can find ways to purify larger intervals without interfering much with smaller ones, by all means have at it! :-)