OT: tuning issues (was Re: Even More Slash....)

[David Beardsley <db@biink.com>]

Eric Williamson wrote:

> On Feb 4, 2004, at 6:28 PM, David Beardsley wrote:
>
>> Eric Williamson wrote:
>>
>>> but yes, one of my favourite realities of music in the year 2004 is 
>>> that there is truly nothing new, as our musical opportunities are 
>>> limited by the overtone series of western instruments.
>>
>> Care to elaborate on that statement? Why limited?
>
>
> ah i forgot about the microtonal aspect, reminded by your sig.
>
> i really should have clarified that with the word "diatonic" in 
> between "our" and "musical".
>
> i feel that diatonic music is limited by the integer-multiple overtone 
> series. there are only so many ways to string 7 (or 12, if you're into 
> tone rows and that sort of thing) notes together, and every time i try 
> to write a melody, i'm reminded of that.
>
> i personally am not interested in using non-diatonic-based tunings in 
> my music, because i don't feel that an appropriate enough combination 
> of interface, instrument, and price point exists yet to make me 
> interested in it. i'm not a guitarist, i'm a keyboardist. when i think 
> about Wendy's Alpha scale it makes my head spin.


If I understand your comments,
I get the impression that you think a microtonal scale has to have more
than 12 notes. This is not the case.


> an instrument i would really like to see that would get me into 
> microtuning would be a digital Hammond organ clone where the digital 
> tonewheels could be tuned to different scales. _That_ would get me 
> excited. especially if it had a "stretch" knob so i could finally play 
> an Hammond in proper tune with a piano!
> ---
> Eric Williamson
> www.suitandtieguy.com

That would take all the grease out of the organ!

-- 
* David Beardsley
* microtonal guitar
* http://biink.com/db