source file: mills2.txt Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 10:46:35 +0200 Subject: Modes, Diamonds, Barstow & pun From: Greg Schiemer Apologies to all contributors on the list if the answers to my enquiries are readily available in an FAQ. Johnny Reinhard's post gets closest to answering my original question about JI modes. Thanks to all the others. > Am I correct in deducing that say Dorian mode uses exactly the same > note frequencies at which say Ionian mode was tuned in just intonation, > i.e. 9/8 5/4 4/3 3/2 5/3 15/8 2 9/4 ? > > Pieter Smit. This is probably the way I should have asked the question in the first place. Pieter's deduction seems right to me and I await with interest an answer to his question. I have another beginner's problem this time understanding the 5-limit Incipient Tonality Diamond of Partch (diagram 5. p110 Genesis of Music). I'll spell out what I think it is so someone can correct me. I've understood that the diamond is a matrix which has a centred vertical axis representing 1/1. The ratios are arranged so that identities 1 3 & 5 on one of the diagonal axes represent 3 major triad made up of JI 3rds and 5ths and on the other diagonal axis 3 minor triad made up of JI 3rds and 5ths. By doing this Partch solves the super-tonic problem associated with 5-limit tuning (Doty p.37). The scale Partch uses to describe the concept is G --- Bb - B - C - D - Eb - E --- G. Here is the same scale represented on the 5-limit Incipient Tonality Diamond using JI intervals 3/3 5/3 6/5 4/3 5/5 3/2 8/5 5/4 1/1 If 1/1 is represented by G how is the same diamond represented ? G E Bb C G D Eb B G Ignoring the fact that these pitches are those normally used to describe 12-tET, is this correct ? I've recently introduced a class to 3- 5- & 7-limit JI scales using David Doty's book, Scala & Csound. Before we move on to 11-limit tuning I wanted to understand how Partch arrived at it, hence my question about the diamond. We've also listened to John Schneider's recording of Barstow. Compared with the first commercial recording with all its percussive timbres, I was amazed to hear how consonant the intervals sounded and how much darker the mood of this piece becomes on the guitar. Alternate tuning is not on the curriculum here. I just snuck it in. These undergraduates composers are now sold on JI. Csound and Scala have played a big role in this. It would be nice to look at non-12 tET as well as JI tunings. On the subject of puns, I don't suppose many people on this list are aware that Warren Burt wrote a piece for the old Fairlight CMI some years ago which he called "Justice Equality & Beatings". Greg S Received: from ns.ezh.nl [137.174.112.59] by vbv40.ezh.nl with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Sat, 31 May 1997 13:20 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA05471; Sat, 31 May 1997 13:20:33 +0200 Date: Sat, 31 May 1997 13:20:33 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA05466 Received: (qmail 24937 invoked from network); 31 May 1997 11:20:06 -0000 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 31 May 1997 11:20:06 -0000 Message-Id: <199705310717_MC2-1798-BECF@compuserve.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu