[Harp-L] Re: Ghost Notes and Equal Temperament

Moral of the story (per me); If this is more or less true for notes all non adjacent holes, split intervals don't beat anywhere near as much as chords or adjacent double stops will on an ET harp. I mean, can most people actually hear a difference of 6 cents in a live performance situation?

Yes, people can hear that difference. As I said, the actual interval played effects the degree of beating. 12TET favors the fourth and the fifth in such a way that they are much smoother than the thirds. Thus the same will be true of the difference tones. But, the beating does exist and is quite audible for all 12TET intervals, and their difference tones. That is the only point I was trying to make--that playing split intervals in 12TET does not somehow make the difference tone beatless or harmonious. Whether this is more or less objectionable musically is subjective--and essentially the same question as whether one objects to 12TET overall.

addition of the difference tone.  This is particularly true of major
thirds in 12TET which tend to sound harsher than minor thirds (for
whatever reason)."

Probably sometimes, but not necessarily all the time, because i am not always blocking out the 3d. For example, the 3 draw/6 draw split in second position plays the 3d and the 9th while blocking out the 5 and 7b.

Except the interval being played is a dominant seventh--on a C harp it is a lower B and the next A. That is what is important for the difference tone being created--the relationship between the two (or more) notes being played--not where the note falls in the key in which you are playing.

Also, the ghost notes generated by split intervals always deepen, fatten and sweeten the quality of the tone, no mater which particular split interval is being played. And this remains true even if one is playing octaves, although octaves certainly sound more powerful than "sweet."

Difference tones exist in all intervals played. Depending on their strength they can have may or may not have a significant effect on the notes being played. A difference tone is generated when playing any two notes, split intervals or adjacent notes. I find that they are significant on the harmonica in all cases, and add to the overall nature of the sound being played. Certainly playing two notes spaced farther apart has a different feel than playing two notes spaced closely (basically thirds in the harmonica, with one exception--6/7 draw). And playing a fifth has a different feel than a third. Personally, I wouldn't use any of the very subjective terms you've used to describe them, as all have their uses--people like Jimmy Reed, John Lee Williamson and others didn't seem to have any problem getting "fat", "deep" or "sweet" sounds playing adjacent intervals. But that is more a style debate, and has little to do with the generation of difference tones and how they work.



 ()()    JR "Bulldogge" Ross
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