(Fwd)tuning a didj

This thread is from the Oddmusic list,i thought the subject would interest this list as well.

>That african has encompassed the guitar and synth. has been at the
>expense
>of their own musical tunings. The synth can not in many cases be tuned
>to the
>Senegalese scales! As Andrew Tracy noted 50 years ago, I have never
>heard an
>african scale that was like the Western Major Scale. Today this is no
>longer
>the case. The traditional music has receeded in much the same way that
>hawaiian
>music has receeded behind the likes of Don Ho.

I think the problem is that most musicians don�t care enough about tuning to care about the absurd complexities caused by it,most of them think that 12tet is the"finishing point"for tuning and that all instruments are just better off by being adjusted to it.(think"foreign instruments are all out of tune!")

It�s conceivable that using todays synths,refretted electric guitars etc. non-Western musicians could perform in their traditional tunings(or whatever extended versions of them would be possible).The problem is that almost only Western musicians has the theoretical knowledge to understand the complexities of tuning 12TET instruments,and ironically they�re the ones who seldom desire to do anything else as they are brought up listening to the system.

In other words,the ones who can do it don�t want to,and the ones who would want to do it don�t know how and eventually give up to favorize the linearity of 12TET.Don�t know how clear i made myself there,but i hope you got my point.

����������������������������������������������������������������������
Mats �ljare
Eskilstuna,Sweden
http://www.angelfire.com/mo/oljare
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com