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The Bassoon can play any of these chords:

.chortanga1 t+0 t+17 t+14
.chortanga2 t+17 t+14 t+22
.chortanga3 t+31 t+22 t+17
.chortangb1 t+9 t+16 t+18
.chortangb2 t+25 t+18 t+19
.chortangb3 t+43 t+19 t+16
.chortanga4 t+0&gls9:8. t+17&gls11:10. t+14&gls7:6.
.chortanga5 t+17&gls11:10. t+14&gls7:6. t+22&gls9:8.
.chortanga6 t+31&gls7:6. t+22&gls9:8. t+17&gls11:10.
.chortangb4 t+9&gls10:9. t+16&gls12:11. t+18&gls8:7.
.chortangb5 t+25&gls12:11 t+18&gls8:7. t+19&gls10:9.
.chortangb6 t+43&gls8:7. t+19&gls10:9. t+16&gls12:11.
.chortanga7 t+0&gls7:8. t+17&gls9:10. t+14&gls11:12.
.chortanga8 t+17&gls9:10. t+14&gls11:12. t+22&gls7:8.
.chortanga9 t+31&gls11:12. t+22&gls7:8. t+17&gls9:10.
.chortangb7 t+9&gls8:9. t+16&gls10:11. t+18&gls6:7.
.chortangb8 t+25&gls10:11 t+18&gls6:7. t+19&gls8:9.
.chortangb9 t+43&gls6:7. t+19&gls8:9. t+16&gls10:11.

Where each t represents a note in the 53 tone equal scale. As it happens, t0 is C, t+17 is a just 5:4, and t+14 is a 3:2. t+9 is a 9:8, t+16 is an 11:8, and t+18 is 7:4. So we have the 4:5:6 chord and the 9:11:14 chord as choices, with inversions, and glides from one to the other. The Bassoon can play one or more of the notes simultaneously, so it might be a chord, or just a note.
If it chooses this one, it’s just the last of three notes:

.bassoon1 &bas.&key.d16r0 o5d0e16&chortang*.d88&bas-ran*.h194

If it chooses this one, it’s a chord:

.bassoon2 &bas.&key.d16r0 o5d0e16&bas-ran*.&chortang*.d88h194


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One, two, or three bassoons, who knows what can happen if you have a tasteful group of friendly musicians in a room.

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At first, we only allow the bass wires to play a very simple figure, then we give them more choices as the introduction proceeds. It’s all up to them what they do.

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More variety in the back beat chords.

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Back in the day, Tom Nunn and I had a piece that we named, after the fact, “Dinosaur Tango”. It was a duo of Tom on one of his crustaceans plucking wires, and me on balloon flutes: first bass, then alto, then soprano as the pace quickened.

I’ve tried a dozen times over the years to duplicate the mood. Imagine a caveman sneaking into the den of a pair of dinosaurs. He discovers them dancing. Of course he joins in. Wouldn’t you?

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Love those 8 against 13s.

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I sure hope this 53-TET with glissandi using highly enharmonic samples doesn’t sound too much like yellow mustard on chocolate cake.

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These are the extra sounds of the dry spring. The bent wire instrument sounds like what it must feel like when falling down a set of dark stairs in a decaying building while your coat is on fire. That’s the glissando applied to each note. It’s one of these four, depending on duration and chance.

f312 0 256 -7 1 256 1.0625; g11 glide up 17/16
f313 0 256 -7 1 256 .9375; g12 glide down 15/16
f314 0 256 -7 1 256 .875 ; g13 glide down 7/8
f315 0 256 -7 1 256 1.125 ; g14 glide up 9/8


A pair of slightly longer excerpts here and here.

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There is a variable that determines the variability of the choices that can be made. It had been set very low for some reason. I decreased the likelihood of repeating a pattern and listen to the result. Controlling the indeterminacy.