RE: [tuning] re-introduction

Paul Fly wrote,

>one thing i'm wondering about is -- how do people create music in
>just intonation? i have synthesizers that offer 'pythagorean'
>or 'just C' tunings. they are, i assume, a way to explore (correct
>my terminology if i am wrong) a 12-note 5-limit lattice.

Right, though the Pythagorean is 3-limit (one-dimensional).

>people here talk about using just tuned guitars. do those
>also tend to a 12-note 5-limit space?

Usually more than 12 notes, and often higher than 5-limit (even 11- and
13-limit).

>all voices
>are sine waves.

You'd have an easier time hearing the unique quality of the simple just
ratios using a timbre with harmonics. For sine waves, there's not much
difference between just and irrational intervals. Though some on this list
have debated this assertion in the context of harmonic scales that extend
high up the series, it sounds like you're exploring just intonation beyond
just a single harmonic scale. I'd suggest you try a slightly richer timbre
and see if the intervals seem to acquire more "meaning".