source file: mills2.txt Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 08:02:01 -0800 Subject: Re: H'stick's post on Kami's post on Indian music From: linusliu@HK.Super.NET (Linus Liu) Posters on this lists seem always to view the scale as a "template" for ALL other music. I view the scales as individual works. I found explanations to how the scales are formed. Intervals in a melody, or for that matter, notes in any part in progression of chords, are like a passenger sitting inside a train watching a sequence of electric wire posts sweeping past. When the spacing is in a regular pattern, he finds it normal. Just as if interval arrangements follows some sort of pattern in a _balanced_ manner, the listener then finds it in tune. The western major scale, the Chinese major scale, the mean tone and the tempered scale, all conform to this logic. But those are the easiest pieces of "work" to analyse. Back in October, I read a paper in a conference in Shanghai which I explained exactly when and why two identical melodies in the "Butterfly Lovers'" violin concerto must be played differently - by exactly a 81/80 comma on certain notes. There is an exact reason why every note in every good piece of music must be played a particular intonation that is "correct". There is a natural law which many classical composers fell into. And breaking this law became the Art for subsequent composers. Once I played a little of a cd recording of the "Butterfly Lovers'" violin concerto (not by me) at my home, and asked my maid whether she thought the violinist was playing well or not. She exclaimed "Why, is that a cd. I thought it was your friend playing!" She thought it was the man who sold me my violin. He just manage to play some violin, but no where near good. My maid did not notice the accompanying orchestra on the cd. She just noticed how the violinist played out of tune. Yes, I played this concerto, with a piano, two weeks ago, and will play again twice in January. The audience likes it, and wonders why I sound better than their cd's at their home, with orchestra. One new pupil is studying this concerto with me for her first lesson yestersday. She is ten years old and got distinction in her grade 8 LRSM exam. And she noticed that the lovers were actually dead, when I showed her how the ending melody should be played, differently from the beginning. John Chalmers heard a little of my playing on tape in my car. On the "Spanish Dance" (in a minor key), he commented that my playing improved a lot (actually, it was just "correct". On the Meditation, which I told him I was playing in the "Chinese scale", he said, "It sounds very expressive" which actually, just exactly how the composer intended. That is exactly what I teach. Which particular pitch on which note, on every note. I make myself, and my choir, sound normal. And make the others sound different. Pls see my notes via ftp kahless.isca.uiowa.edu in /pub/algo-comp/LinusLiu Linus Liu. >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. Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 17:21 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA01344; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 17:23:43 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA01446 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id IAA23685; Mon, 23 Dec 1996 08:23:40 -0800 Date: Mon, 23 Dec 1996 08:23:40 -0800 Message-Id: <009AD47DCA998420.E094@vbv40.ezh.nl> Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu