Month: March 2014

This is a work in progress. Just a Reggae vamp for now in with the opening chords from Bob Marley’s You Could be Loved.

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This is a work in progress. Just a Reggae vamp for now in C minor.

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This is a work in progress. For the next set of pieces, I’m going back to the Partch Tonality Diamond, approximated by 72-EDO. The advantage of an equal temperament with a just scale is that all the intervals are reduced to a defined set of intervals, in this case multiples of the ratio 1.009673533 or 2^(1/72) which is the 72EDO step. This make it possible to mass produce trills, slides, and other ornamentation with a relatively small number of alternatives. I have 72 upward glissando, and 72 downward ones, and the same with trills. Now, if I want to go up by a 4/3, I just have to know that it’s about 30 72-EDO steps, and call &glv+30. and there I am. Of course, it also makes transpositions easier, but I don’t know if I’ll get to those.

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This is completed version of the final piece in the series “Second of July”. This one is scored for Flutes, Baritone Guitars, finger pianos, balloon and tube drums, and dry scratching samples from an instrument I built in the 1970’s for live performances. The tuning is Adams-12, which is twelve tones from 72-EDO. I use the following six note scales:

Think of it as in C major, with a bridge that goes through E minor, A minor, D minor, G major, back to C major. And throw in an occasional F major to shake things up. There is a melody of sorts, that is first played against the C major, then against bridge minors, using the tones that most closely match the C major tones.

The selection of what each instrument plays at a given moment, the next best action, is determined by the Markov Chain Drunkard’s Walk algorithm. They can pick the next choice, or the previous choice, but they can’t pick what they picked the last time. If there are six alternatives, the next one is chosen from those six using the algorithm. But I pick the six alternatives. I exercise a great deal of control, but when it’s time to play, I leave the final choice up to the randomizer.

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The title to this and all the Second of July series is from a letter from John Adams to his wife Abigail on the occasion of the approval in the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence.

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.
I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.
You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. — I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. — Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not.

This is a work in progress. I’ve done several things with this version, but it’s getting close to completion. I need to add some 1/4 speed melody sections to break up the pace.

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This is a work in progress. I found a way to switch to half speed in the melody without having to rewrite it. It’s complex, but a natural result of the macro language that my preprocessor uses. Macros are shortcuts for longer strings. They can be combined in interesting ways.

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This is a work in progress. I added a melody. I find it amazing that almost all my tunes melodies like Frank Zappa tunes when I first start trying out ideas. I’ll have to mix up the rhythms more. This is just a start.

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Or download here: Bonfires & Illuminations.

This is a work in progress. Still just a vamp, but each instrument has an increased likelihood of silence instead of playing a given section of a measure.

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Or download here: Bonfires & Illuminations.