source file: mills2.txt Date: Sat, 6 Jan 1996 10:39:39 -0800 Subject: Re: Notation of Equal Temperaments From: Johnny Reinhard > Brian writes: > > > But how many live acoustic xenharmonic concerts did > > YOU attend last year? > > > And didn't ALL of 'em use one-of-a-kind exotic homebuilt acoustic > > microtonal instruments? I guess it is clear that Brian inhabits a totally different world from the one I live in. And I'm not talking about locale, either. To my ears "pressing buttons on electronic technology" is the least satisfactory musical sound. Vocal sound is the primal musical sound and that is not discussed. Truth, most who press buttons can't hear in their heads what they are supposed to produce audibly. We live at time where there are multitudes of great musicians, ready to play anything. I don't know if they need an endangered species act, but it would be a shame if they will soon need refugee status. Here in New York City musicians will read any notation that makes use of their training. So - Julian Carrillo's 96-ET music in his original number notation has always required transcription to a plus or minus of 49 cents above a quartertone notation. Lesson: the more foreign the notation the less likely a performance by master musicians. Gardner Read's "20th Century Microtonal Notoation" demonstrates that there are a myriad of notations, as there are multiplicity of tunings. Perhaps notation reflects profoundly a creators aesthetic as does the choice of tuning, or instrumental color, or form, etc. It is self-prophesizing to proclaim that the unexperienced doesn't exist. Somehow I am surpsrised that with all the traveling that AFMM is involved in there has never been an invitation to perform on the West coast. There is yet beautiful music to be made on CDs that are acoustic and that use the resonant instruments that human heritage has produced. I believe it is a mistake to alienate yourself from the grass roots of sound. New sounds are great, too! Love homemade stuff. MMmmm. Even great electronics, sometimes. Johnny Reinhard AFMM reinhard@styx.ios.com Received: from eartha.mills.edu [144.91.3.20] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sat, 6 Jan 1996 20:33 +0100 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id LAA28016; Sat, 6 Jan 1996 11:33:49 -0800 Date: Sat, 6 Jan 1996 11:33:49 -0800 Message-Id: <9601061134.aa01474@cyber.cyber.net> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu