source file: mills2.txt Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 22:50:51 -0800 Subject: Kami's post on Indian music From: bq912@freenet.uchsc.edu (Neil G. Haverstick) Haverstick here...Kami's post on Indian systems fits exactly with a book I've been reading by Alain Danielou, "Music and the Power of Sound"...Danielou takes a look at Indian, Chinese, and Greek systems of tuning, and talks frequently about the question Kami asked when he wondered which pitches were appropriate at various times in a raga. It seems, according to Danielou, that pure pitches have exact corres- pondences with emotional states in man, times of day, metaphysical concepts, and much more, which is only hinted at in the book...in other words, it's a deep and true subject, and one which is rarely, if ever, addressed by most musicians (at least in the western system). When DO you use a particular pitch, indeed, and what are the implications thereof? How do we find out the answer to this most ultimate of musical questions...and if, as Danielou suggests, the tempered scale is out of harmony with the natural laws of musical pitch organization (which, of course, we definitely know it is), what is the cumulative spiritual effect of all these out of jharmony (as opposed to out of tune) intervals? I am beginning to realize that this is perhaps the most important issue facing musicians in the world today. I believe we are in a most crucial time in the history of this planet, and the decisions we make now will have a great impact on future evenys...I also believe artists have a lot more power than we are seeing, for the most part...at least we have the ability to be using our gifts for more creative ends than most music I currently hear. So, Kami's question is most appropriate, and one which we tuning folks have the resources to begin to grapple with...I plan on taking my music as far as possible, so this means really looking for the true meaning and purpose of music...by studying the harmonic clues left to us by the Creator, I believe a great and powerful music can arise, one with the ability to heal and make positive waves in the very structure of the Universe...which sruti, eh? Hstick Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 14:40 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01288; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 14:42:49 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA01306 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id EAA21697; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 04:23:26 -0800 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 04:23:26 -0800 Message-Id: <199612231221.UAA08415@csnt1.cs.ust.hk> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu