Dynamic Tonality

[seraph]

http://www.youtube.com/user/JimPlamondon

feed://www.thummer.com/blog/atom.xml

[Jim Plamondon]

Gentlepersons,

Please accept my apologies for the poor audio quality in the YouTube demo of Dynamic Tonality that was recently posted to YouTube and kindly referenced by Seraph.

The demo is intended to show:
- polyphonic pitch bends across the syntonic temperament's broad tuning continuum
- that a given tonal interval retains its shape on the Thummer's note-layout in any key of any tuning within this continuum
- that this is true no matter how many notes the octave is subdivided into, or whether the subdividion is equal (e.g., 31-TET) or unequal (1/4-comma meantone).

Only the syntonic temperament is shown in the demo, but the note-layout is equally valid for the schismatic temperament, too (since it is also a "stack of fifths" tuning). Other rank-2 temperaments can be used with the Thummer's keyboard, but the pattern of note-names changes when for temperaments that are not based on stacks of fifths.

Also demonstrated (although not discussed much or explained in detail) is the dynamic alignment of the current timbre's harmonics with the notes of the current tuning. That is, we aren't just retuning each notes' fundamental; we're also shifting its harmonics around so that they, too, align with the tuning's scale steps (a la Sethares in Tuning, Timbre, Spectrum, Scale). This can be seen as a generalization of the relationship between the Harmonic Series and Just Intonation to a much wider set of "pseudo-tonal" temperaments/tunings and their related "pseudo-harmonic" timbres. Tunings such as 7-TET and 5-TET, at the extreme ends of the syntonic tuning continuum, are outside of the temperament's tonally-valid tuning range, and as such are "exo-tonal."

The demo mentions three specific novel effects which we know to be enabled by Dynamic Tonality:
- polyphonic tuning bends, shown repeatedly in the demo
- new chord progressions, mentioned by not demonstrated
- temperament modulations, mentioned but not demonstrated

My collaborators (who, unlike me, are musicians) are working on demonstrations of these new effects, which we expect to have ready "real soon now" (months). Being composed using computer keyboards (not Thummers) as control surfaces, these are unlikely to be musically impressive, so don't build up your expectations too high.

The point that I hope is made clear by this demo video (despite its poor audio!) is that the Thummer's note-layout and expressive power makes alternative tunings brain-dead simple to USE. You just wiggle a joystick (thereby controlling the demo's tuning slider) and interesting new musical effects happen. No esoteric math, no prime numbers, no arcane ratios -- you just wiggle a joystick. The Thummer (and its Dynamic Tonality synth) understand music theory, so you don't have to. Obviously, if you're into the math, it can help you explore the possibilites faster -- but you could just use your ears instead.

For 2500 years, musicians, scientists, and music theorists have attempted to find an optimal temperament. They all assumed that the Harmonic Series was fixed and immutable -- as indeed it was, and still is, for acoustic instruments. But electro-musicians laugh at the bonds of physical vibrations; we can move partials around at will, freeing music from the strictures of 12-TET while retaining the time-honored framework of tonal harmony and the pure consonances otherwise available only through Just Intonation. We can have our consonance, and our modulation, too.

Unless I'm missing something -- and I just hate to say this in case I jinx it -- we appear to have solved the temperament problem once and for all (for electronic instruments, at least).

Please don't be shy about telling me just how full of crap this claim is. I'd rather hear it from friends.

Thanks!

--- Jim

[seraph]

[seraph]

more documents:

http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/paperspdf/InvariantFingering.pdf
http://eceserv0.ece.wisc.edu/~sethares/paperspdf/tuningcontinua.pdf

http://launch.groups.yahoo.com/group/tuning/message/75932

[MathHat]

Hi,

I've recently gained interest in generalized keyboards and microtuning alike, although my music theory is pretty sparse. After some research the best I can make out is that the different note values are being generated from a cycle of fifths, but what note does it start with?

Truthfully, I'm trying to imitate that Max patch in PD, (which I'm also just getting the hang of) so that I can play with this interesting concept myself.

P.S. I didn't see an "introductions" thread, so I'm saying "hi" now...which is just as well, since such threads seem to be easily neglected.

EDIT: I should probably read a bit more. This cleared everything up (except for the starting note, but I'm guessing it's D):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syntonic_temperament

[seraph]

[MathHat]

OK, well...

PD is a very interesting language, which is another way of saying that it has taken me a bit of time to get used to this kind of graphical programming environment based on dataflow and messaging. The mindset associated with it seems to be well suited to sound programming, but it has many limitations, especially that it's hard to do anything useful without making many copies of the same pattern of objects. I ended up making an odd data structure that stores two integer values at a time, hashed together, in an ASCII lookup table.

Anyway, here's a little monophonic Wicki/Hayden/Thummer mapping of QWERTY, with the syntonic range of tuning.

P.S. I tuned it on A440.

EDIT: ...and an example patch. When playing with it, the space bar is useful for cutting the sound.

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thummono.pd.txt
Description:	Input: tempered fifth ratio in cents, default 700. Output: fractional midi note based on last pressed key.	Download (listen)
Filename:	thummono.pd.txt
Filesize:	1.33 KB
Downloaded:	436 Time(s)

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something.pd.txt
Description:	Example usage of thummono, a simple sine-based synth.	Download (listen)
Filename:	something.pd.txt
Filesize:	1.21 KB
Downloaded:	449 Time(s)

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