source file: mills3.txt Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 03:09:34 +0200 Subject: Re: Microtuning Instruments From: Johnny Reinhard Hi, everybody. I just returned from Camp Rising Sun as a music counselor running a microtonal program. The girls (14-17) performed my cello concerto Odysseus for the boys camp. 50 instrumentalists and 4 vocalists -- each in their own idiosyncratic tuning -- portray the famed journey depicted by Homer. Doing it in NYC to positive reviews provided all the evidence that the girls needed that my original idea was on solid ground. Also worth mentioning is that I have joined the ranks of academically-affiliated university professors. C.W. Post (Long Island University) has hired me as its new music composition/theory professor and where I work along side with Howard Rovics, also a microtonal composer. Enrollment was up 33% in music. Now to the instruments themselves, basing my statements upon my life experiences: flutes-need to be open-hole for best results. Wooden non-keyed flutes are easily set in historic temperaments by using tape to change the angle/shape of a tone hole, and through new and partial fingings. oboe-is a great microtonal instrument but is able to fluctuate with a minimum of change in finger movement or breath change as to be hard to count on for precision. Accuracy requires the mental imagination and control of the player in his/her head...as with a violin. I am presently composing a solo work for oboe called Melanin. clarinet-tough to multiphonic for some. Bass clarinet is closed hole, though it is maleable enough for quartertones. Great sliding possibilities, though much easier to slide up. bassoon-can play any microtone imaginable with accuracy. Its overtone rich 3.5 octave range is rich in harmonic content. And its combination of 5 open tone holes and 26 keys make it a natural for microtonal play. strings/voice/trombone-no problems trumpet/tuba-these need an added quartertone piston/valve to open up the hole enchilada of microtones due to the new combinations possible. French horns-are quite a bit unreliable because of their placement higher in the overtone series and because of the thingess of the mouthpiece and tubing in general. pianos-can be retuned, or even redesigned. guitars-can be altered by retuning the strings, but make better microtonal axes when they have completely redesigned fingerboards. There are great microtonal virtuosi on all of the above instruments. If there are any questions about writing for any of these please feel comfortable to reply. Look out for a microtonal article in the next Whole Earth Magazine. And New Yorkers: there'll be 2 evening broadcasts of the best of MicroMay '97 on the New Sounds radio program with John Schaefer (WNYC) and yours truly. (Sunday New York Times should have the days, though the time for the show is 11 a.m.) It's great to be back! Johnny Reinhard American Festival of Microtonal Music - MicroMay '97 (May 16, 21-23) 318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW New York, New York 10021 USA (212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495 reinhard@idt.net http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM/ SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: alves@orion.ac.hmc.edu Subject: RE: Tuning of the 2nd sruti PostedDate: 10-09-97 03:11:30 SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu $UpdatedBy: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH,CN=Manuel op de Coul/OU=AT/O=EZH RouteServers: CN=notesrv2/OU=Server/O=EZH,CN=notesrv1/OU=Server/O=EZH RouteTimes: 10-09-97 09:17:28-10-09-97 09:17:30,10-09-97 09:16:54-10-09-97 09:16:54 DeliveredDate: 10-09-97 09:16:54 Categories: $Revisions: Received: from ns.ezh.nl by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA v1.1 (385.6 5-6-1997)) with SMTP id C125650E.0028043E; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 09:17:05 +0200 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA19099; Wed, 10 Sep 1997 03:11:30 +0200 Date: Wed, 10 Sep 1997 03:11:30 +0200 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA19100 Received: (qmail 23901 invoked from network); 10 Sep 1997 01:10:52 -0000 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 10 Sep 1997 01:10:52 -0000 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu