source file: mills3.txt Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 07:17:47 +0100 Subject: various From: Aline Surman As always, I continually realize what a hoot this forum is...I am constantly learning and challenging my own beliefs...there's some mighty smart and perceptive folks here, so I am grateful. As far as what Mr. Gibson said about musicians writing for the masses, and not for the exceptionally acute listeners...Gregg, when I write, I try and follow my inner voice, the gift I have been given, whatever that may be. I am not trying to write for anyone, although after a piece is conceived, I may then try and decide if it is appropriate for one group or another. There are some of my pieces that I would not play in a blues bar, for instance, because they are inappropriate for that group of folks, at that time. When I write using 34 tone equal temperament, I am aware that the "masses' may not relate to it so well, but is that because of the cultural training we all receive, or what? I feel that if a piece is good and real, than the tuning is not the main issue...it's the end result. I see no reason why the "masses," whoever they are, cannot like music in any tuning, as long as the piece itself is valid. Which gets into some interesting areas...are we writing music to try and please the largest number of people possible (and from which culture, by the way...a large group of Turkish folks may well relate totally differently to a particular piece than a bunch of people from Alabama, I think), or are we writing music that we feel needs to be written because we hear it that way? Which musicians did you mean, anyway, when you said that "they" write for the masses? Also, again on the issue of hearing teensy intervals, and are they musically valid... I am sure that training is the issue here, not can we hear small intervals. Of course we can...the old saw about people using only 10% of their brains is very applicable in this case. I am confident that, if people were brought up with the concept of intervals smaller than 12 equal, we would find that most people could hear intervals smaller than 12, 19, or whatever. Gregg, I would suggest that you look into the music of Joe Manieri, for one...he uses 72 equal, and even teaches this system, and claims that folks have little trouble with it, once they are exposed to it. I also recommend listening to Johnny Reinhard's string quartet, "Cosmic Rays, " which has comma intervals throughout...I can hear them, and I am sure that anyone could, if given the proper training and exposure...I am presently writing a 34 tone piece that uses the comma interval (one 34 tone step, in this case) as the primary interval of the piece, and have played it for several folks...everyone can hear it, and I personally think it is essential to the piece, and has a real haunting sort of effect. Why you believe what you do is a mystery to me at this point; it is far removed from many of the "microtonalists" I have gotten to know so far, but perhaps future discussions will make your position clearer...Hstick PS...also, to dismiss tunings because they are "useless" reminds me of Duke Ellington's comments about music in general...there's only two kinds of music, good or bad. A tuning is useful if you write something good in it...HHH SMTPOriginator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu From: gbreed@cix.compulink.co.uk (Graham Breed) Subject: equal temperaments and pitch classes PostedDate: 11-12-97 18:27:19 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: 11-12-97 18:25:27-11-12-97 18:25:27,11-12-97 18:25:11-11-12-97 18:25:12 DeliveredDate: 11-12-97 18:25:12 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 C125656A.005FB31F; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 18:27:14 +0100 Received: by ns.ezh.nl; (5.65v3.2/1.3/10May95) id AA13054; Thu, 11 Dec 1997 18:27:19 +0100 Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 18:27:19 +0100 Received: from ella.mills.edu by ns (smtpxd); id XA13047 Received: (qmail 14895 invoked from network); 11 Dec 1997 09:27:09 -0800 Received: from localhost (HELO ella.mills.edu) (127.0.0.1) by localhost with SMTP; 11 Dec 1997 09:27:09 -0800 Message-Id: Errors-To: madole@mills.edu Reply-To: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Originator: tuning@eartha.mills.edu Sender: tuning@eartha.mills.edu