source file: m1536.txt Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 23:50:54 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: Neutral Third From: Johnny Reinhard Neutral thirds are often credited to Zalzal, a midieval 'oud player named Zalzal that introudced the lute (l'oud) to Southern Europe). Now, the 'oud (which means "wood" in Arabic) goes through phases every 200 years or so between fretted and unfretted fingerboards. Zalzal had frets and he placed a fret between major and minor, as well as between their corresponding sixths (major and minor). Modern Egyptian music still uses these intervals, as well as others implied by them. I first noticed the neutral third in the General Motors Word's Fair car horn: D F+ A F+ One special characteristic of the neutral third is that no matter what kind of 5th there is in a system, the neutral third is always in the same place logarithmically. My experience with it really began with a piece I composed called "Neo" which has a be-bop-like quartertone romp set off by the previously mentioned car horn motive, Perhaps familiarity with the interval eases it into its own niche wherein it is neither major nor minor. It simply is. Johnny Reinhard Director American Festival of Microtonal Music 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 ------------------------------ End of TUNING Digest 1536 *************************