source file: mills3.txt Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:38:48 +0100 Subject: Autoharp and Woodwinds From: "Patrick Ozzard-Low" Dear Erik, Johnny & other Tuningers, Erik Nauman wrote: >Obviously this doesn't qualify as a traditional >classical instrument if that's your range, but if this is of >interest to you I can certainly tell you more and send you a detail >description of the adaptation process I worked out. Thanks. I would love to recieve something about what you're doing - but yes, it is outside the scope of what I can concievably spend much time on at this point. My home address is 97, Onley Street, Norwich, NR2 2EA, UK if what you might send doesn't fit in a virtual post box. Johnny Reinhard wrote : >There is nothing impossible to accomplish with reliability and >evenness of tone on the clarinet. Do you really think this is true, Johnny? Firstly, let me say, I am not a woodwind player (I studied oboe as a kid). But I know very well the amazing things that some virtuoso contemporary wind players can do these days - whether it's Ferneyhough, Nono, Holliger etc., for quarter-tone stuff, or more radical (from a tuning point of view at least) such as Ian Grietzer's playing of Sim's 72-ET quintet, or 31-ET, or whatever. (I have the manuals from your Pitch No4 of course). However, I do see great value in building new instruments. New physical design, placing of tone-holes, fingering (possibly greatly simplified with electronic interfaces for purely acoustic instruments) etc would give a more accurate pallette, (ie designedly 'centred' pitches), improved tonal charateristics, and greatly improved facility. For example, fast scale passages in n-ET (ie., non-12-ET) would be audibly improved; orchestral players, who are not virtuosi, would be able to play n-ET or n-JI, thus integrating the exploration of ATS somewhat deeper into the musical fabric... And new extended techniques will doubtless be explored too... > Oboe: If the musical ear hears the relationship, the oboe is quite obediant. But, would it be preferable to have an instrument that that actually confirms the scale in the ear and mind of the performer, rather than one which is 'quite obedient'? Let me put it another way. Suppose that Western music had evolved such that, today, 19-ET was the standard to which woodwinds (and all other fixed or semi-pitched) were built. (Leave aside for a moment whether this is a legitimate hypothesis). Then some crazies come along and say "Hey man, we wanna play music in 12-ET - it sounds real good!" And then, the most brilliant, spend years struggling with playing this darned 12-ET thing on their 19-ET instruments... Sure, 12-ET and 19-ET have special similarities, that's why the story sounds vaguely plausible. But they are just similarities. To really realise these things in all the beauty and clarity we hear in very good performances of works in conventional tuning.... well, IMHO, we are (in general) way off, so far... However, of course, I have yet to get over to NY and come and hear you guys and girls. Patrick Ozzard-Low PS. Does AFFM have some CDs out which will help me learn the error of my ways? SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: Daniel Wolf Subject: Traditional instruments used microtonally PostedDate: 17-11-97 15:46:15 SendTo: CN=coul1358/OU=AT/O=EZH ReplyTo: tuning@eartha.mills.edu $MessageStorage: 0 $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: 17-11-97 15:44:49-17-11-97 15:44:50,17-11-97 15:44:59-17-11-97 15:45:00 DeliveredDate: 17-11-97 15:45:00 Categories: $Revisions: Received: from ns.ezh.nl ([137.174.112.59]) by notesrv2.ezh.nl (Lotus SMTP MTA SMTP v4.6 (462.2 9-3-1997)) with SMTP id C1256552.0051010A; Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:44:46 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA00614; Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:46:15 +0100 Date: Mon, 17 Nov 1997 15:46:15 +0100 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA00612 Received: (qmail 23988 invoked from network); 16 Nov 1997 08:50:11 -0800 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 16 Nov 1997 08:50:11 -0800 Message-Id: <199711161146_MC2-2864-6E06@compuserve.com> Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu