[Harp-L] on temperment

[Jonathan Ross <jross38@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I know this thread is pretty much dead, but so what.

Tim Moyer wrote:


"Perhaps JRRoss will weigh in here, he knows far more about tuning
and temperaments that I do.  "

Actually, I started writing something and then reread what Tim had  
written and pretty much decided I didn't need to address the  
questions of the difference between fixed pitch and non-fixed pitch  
instruments as Tim had done that rather well.  As for knowing more,  
well, somewhat, though most of my knowledge is fairly instrument  
specific and that instrument isn't the harmonica (though the  
theoretical knowledge applies across the board).

To answer some of jazmaan's original question, guitars frets are  
placed based on a 12 Tone Equal Temperment (12TET) system, which  
means that when you fret the note the interval between that note and  
the open string is a 12TET interval, so that the octave on that  
string is divided into twelve equal steps.  Since most people tune  
their guitar's open strings by fretting the interval they want on the  
lower pitched string and then tuning the next string beatless to  
that, guitars then end up being in 12TET (for the most part).   
However, when you play the harmonics of a string, you are no longer  
in 12TET but rather end up utilizing the harmonic series which  
determines the pitch of the note.  Thus, the guitar can (and often  
does in practice) play in both 12TET and utilizing the harmonic  
series, which tends to be represented by smaller limit just  
intonation (ie, 5-limit Just intonation and such--for detailed  
explanations of just intonation, try this site:  http:// 
www.justintonation.net/ )

I really don't know about most woodwinds, nor the sax in particular.   
However, the placement of holes to change the pitch means that those  
holes must be derived from some system of how you want those notes  
arranged.  I would tend to think an instrument of the late 19th  
century such as the saxaphone would use 12TET as the basis for those  
decisions, but that's just an uneducated guess.  I have no idea about  
the trumpet valves.

Iceman writes:

"Golden Melody was geared towards 12 ET partly through
focus on melody and not chords and partly on Howard Levy's influence  
at the time
- playing in all 12 keys on one diatonic."


I had never heard that before.  I thought that the use of 12TET on  
the Golden Melody predated Howard's career, or at least the earliest  
Flecktones releases.

Of course, I don't think anyone can play in "all" 12 keys on a  
diatonic, but that's another issue.  However, the reason I brought  
that up is to remind people that even in Western musical theory there  
are many more than 12 keys.  Unless you are playing a fixed pitch  
instrument which has only twelve divisions of the octave, then  
something like D# is not the same as Eb.






 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
()  ()   & Snuffy, too:)
`----'