Hard Rime #1,2, & 3

This is a piece I’m working on that relies on several different Drunkard’s Walk chains, some sequential, some that skip over every other note. I’m not convinced it has hidden it’s algorithmic nature well enough. But this gives me a chance to listen to several different runs through the randomizer.

The title is the weather term for the frost that forms on the windward side of trees in the mountains caused by freezing fog and snow.Hard Rime

It’s scored for Alto Flute, French Horn, Trombone, Tuba, Finger Piano, Baritone Guitar, and Balloon Drums. The primary key is F Major otonoality from the Partch Tonality Diamond. Where the notes in relation to the F in 72 EDO are 30 42 53 63 0 16 8 23 30. In ratios that’s 1:1 9:8 5:4 11:8 3:2 13:8 7:4 15:8 2:1, if you assume F is 1:1.

The bridge includes a sort of circle of fifths:

  • E-maj
  • A-min
  • Dbmin
  • Gnmin
  • Cnmaj
  • Fnmaj

The bridge sometimes only uses the last three, four, five, or all six of the chords. I’ve used this bridge before in some pieces. It has a nice cadence at the end, G minor, C major, F major. The chords before those are pretty far off from a real circle of fifths. More like a broken wagon wheel of 5ths. In the chart below, the column ideal is the number of steps in 72-EDO that the note should be. Next to it are the notes actually used, and the difference between the number of steps between one note and the next. 30 is what it should be, a fourth up the scale in 72 EDO. Ignore the first one, 64. The rest are close but not quite 30 steps up.

Circle



or download here:
Hard Rime #1
Hard Rime #2
Hard Rime #3

Published by

Prent Rodgers

Musician seduced into capitalism.