source file: m1496.txt
Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 13:34:45 -0400

Subject: TUNING digest 1495

From: Daniel Wolf <DJWOLF_MATERIAL@compuserve.com>

Paul Hahn wrote:

<Oh, John and Daniel--I know full well numerology is a bunch of hooey.

I said that numerology was fun, but easy to find counterexamples. I've ha=
d
too much ethnological experience not to take it seriously, but I take it
seriously because it is a real attribute of past or existing cultures, an=
d
those cultures are of interest. This is often independent of whether or n=
ot
the rationale for choosing particular numbers in a culture reflects any
deep mathematical insight. Small integers are remarkably useful objects a=
nd
suffer not the least for wear under the astonishing purposes to which
humans put them to use. I am, however, very guarded about contemporary
instances or claims of numerological insight. It is just both too easy an=
d
tempting to substitute a few 'eternal truths' about the integers for some=

significant achievement.

That said, the discussion of "x out of y" collections reminds me of the
"scale tree" used by Erv Wilson, on which all MOS scales in all ETs can b=
e
located (and by extension, compact keyboard and notation mappings of any
octave-based intonation can be determined). Is anyone now doing any
follow-up work in this direction?     =

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End of TUNING Digest 1496
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