source file: mills2.txt Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 10:53:57 -0800 Subject: Partch-inspired Instruments From: John Chalmers Jon Grayson published details of his and other similar instruments in two books about Sound Sculpture through the now-defunct A.R.C. I think a cache of these books was rescued and taken to Mills College, though they may be at Cal Arts now. Some of them were recorded (along with others) on an LP, "The Sound(s) of Sound Sculpture." Alas, my copies of the books and the record are either in storage or lost, so I can't be more specific. David Roseboom at Cal Arts might have more information available. Bart Hopkin, editor/publisher of Experimental Musical Instruments would be a good source. Email him at ExpMusInst@aol.com or see his web page at http://www.thecombine.com/emi/. Bart is interested in all types of musical instruments and tunings. I heartily recommend EMI, its cassettes, wall chart, and books. While one might argue over the definition of "Partch-type" or "Partch-inspired," I would think that Lou Harrison's and Bill Colvig's instruments would qualify. Lou was a close friend of HP (as well as John Cage) and Lou credited reading "Genesis of a Music" with helping him recover from a nervous breakdown. While HP did not use metallic sounds to any great extent (The Spoils of War is the principal exception), he told Lou that he should develop them. Lou had used brake drums earlier in the Canticles for percussion) Bill built metal strung monochords, harps, and JI gamelans. (See XH 3, 1975 for some details of the last.) By extension then , one might include the JI gamelan instruments and the tuned metal tube instruments (tubulongs, tubulons, etc.) of Buzz Kimball (other instruments as well), Erv Wilson, Dan Schmidt and Paul Dresher, whom I believe was the first to make them. (Is this true or or did Dresher invent the aluminum plate Bonang at Mills? His recent work has been pop-oriented and in 12-tet.) I have found it impossible to obtain much information on Schoenbeck's work beyond his mere existence. My recollection is that he believes in 'found' tunings. Numerous people have refretted or adapted guitars, mostly by professional luthiers, though Ivor Darreg adapted a number by himself to various ET's. Erv Wilson refretted a guitar to his JI "diaphonic cycles," a modular variant of Schlesinger's harmonia. Tom Stone invented and played the "Sharmachord," a JI guitar and later invented a type of interchangeable fretboard guitar, still available in kit form from Mark Rankin. However, adapting a guitar for the interchangeable fretboards requires a knowledgeable luthier. Others who have adapted guitars are Catler, Startett, Hanson, Piehl, Morrison, and others I've undoubtedly not recalled this instant. --John Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Tue, 31 Dec 1996 22:39 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA05899; Tue, 31 Dec 1996 22:42:31 +0100 Received: from eartha.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA05894 Received: from by eartha.mills.edu via SMTP (940816.SGI.8.6.9/930416.SGI) for id NAA19357; Tue, 31 Dec 1996 13:42:28 -0800 Date: Tue, 31 Dec 1996 13:42:28 -0800 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@ella.mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu