Harmonic flute Raga (was : Re: Baby scales :-D)

For Petr (and all) :
Improvisation with semitone key opened on one of my harmonic flutes, along with
Alain Panteleimonoff (surbahar) and
Jacques Deregnaucourt (violin).
(recorded live in the Abbey of Thoronet in 1994 - glad at least this mono recording was done, as this flute was stolen from me some years ago...)
http://soundcloud.com/fotosonix/clairsonances

Just after 30" I use briefly the 3rd mode (by playing on the end hole while leaving the semitone hole open).
Note that the tonic in here is different from the harmonic flute fundamental, something I often enjoy to do with harmonic flutes : it is placed here on the 5th harmonic of the open semitone mode.
This mode can be considered as a Madhyama version of Basant Mukhari, or of the even more rare Zilof Raga (according to Alain Panteleimonoff) ; I guess it can also be considered as a variation of Kirvani. For sure it belongs to the Asavari Thaat and in the meantime I call it Sabiren.
Unless someone has another idea about it ?
With C as reference tonic the scale goes :
C D Eb F F# G Ab B C'
Note the F# that comes as a Bhairavi-style ornament of the shuddha F, both produced by the 7th harmonics...
- - - - - - - -
Jacques

Petr wrote :

> > (Jacques) : but I rather accepted
> > instead the scale the way it comes on all my flutes.
> > I am also adding a "semitone key" hole in most of them
> > (giving roughly a 17/16), that allows with
> > one flute 3 different scales. Quite jazzy.
>
> This sounds intriguing. Do you have some recordings of these?

Hi Jacques.

Thanks for sharing, that definitely sounds interesting. You've reminded me of another event. A few months ago, I was even thinking about a possible overtone flute with 5or 6 holes but I don't know how to precisely calculate the sizes of the holes. My idea was some sort of meantone "fundamentals" like "D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#". If the lowest fundamental were D4 (which I think is somewhere around 293 or 294Hz), then the lowest "overblown" tone would be D5 and this could possibly be the lowest playable tone. The idea is nice but the calculations are now the only thing that keeps me silent. The thing is that the smaller the hole, the smaller the interval. But I don't know anything more about this matter.

When I get a bit more time, I'll try to find some Hedningarna recordings. I think you'll like it as well.

Thanks for all of your contributions.

Petr

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Petr Pařízek <petrparizek2000@...> wrote:
>
> Hi Jacques.
>
> Thanks for sharing, that definitely sounds interesting. You've reminded me
> of another event. A few months ago, I was even thinking about a possible
> overtone flute with 5or 6 holes but I don't know how to precisely calculate
> the sizes of the holes. My idea was some sort of meantone "fundamentals"
> like "D, Eb, E, F, F#, G, G#". If the lowest fundamental were D4 (which I
> think is somewhere around 293 or 294Hz), then the lowest "overblown" tone
> would be D5 and this could possibly be the lowest playable tone. The idea is
> nice but the calculations are now the only thing that keeps me silent. The
> thing is that the smaller the hole, the smaller the interval. But I don't
> know anything more about this matter.

Some calculations are theorically possible but are very complex in that matter. What I always did was guessing from flutes I made before, making slightly smaller holes then making the holes bigger with a file in one direction or the other depending on how close I am from what I want. Your idea of a harmonic flute based on a meantone subset sounds nice.
It would be something like a chromatic "galoubet", a folk flute we have in Provence, played with one hand (the other one is used for the drum or a string drone), that has three holes tuned roughly 9/8, 5/4, 45/32 (or a meantone version), played on harmonics up to 4 or 5. I did for my ensemble some "Buzurg galoubets" with holes tuned to 14/13, 16/13 and 4/3, that were also very interesting ...

- - - -
Jacques