Extended Intervals
Remember this? Don’t worry about it.
Y’know, people kinda take the 7 note diatonic scale for granted. This is why it might be confusing when you name the notes chromatically, as we (um, just me so far really) do in this system. When you think of the octave (literally “the eighth”) as “12” it reveals the fact that 4 notes that are left out of the regular scale.
Of course there’s also the pentatonic scale that leaves out two more. That kind of scale is really the most common is all the history of all music of the world, also unequally tempered. I’ve thought about this a lot, and I haven’t reached the conclusion that the equal tempered, 12-note system is the absolute best possible. But it’s not bad. I have to ask people that have dedicated their lives to fighting it: Can you not make good music with it? Do you really hate MOST music you hear?
I’m really against the idea of just taking it for granted that it’s the ONLY way to make music (i.e. “There’s only 12 notes!”) But the idea that it’s complete garbage and that the only good music either only existed in the past (before records, we don’t know what it really sounded like) or can only exist in some ideal future state when we finally figure this shit out (again, unhearable) is dumb. Not to create a strawman, there are many classical and experimental musicians that accomplish what they trying to prove, and make fantastic sounding music. But many seem to think they don’t know what music is supposed to sound like, and that it may even be impossible to know. I suggest listening to the music that exists.
That said, there is more than the very simple 2-7 intervals and there’s a different way to think about them. Also, I can make a list now:
- minor 9th = 13
- major 9th = 14
- minor 10th = 15
- major 10th = 16
- perfect 11th = 17
- Aug. 11/Dim. 12 = 18
- perfect 12th = 19
- minor 13th = 20
- major 13th = 21
- minor 14th = 22
- major 14th = 23
- perfect 15th/double octave = 24
Later!
Thinking about Intervals
Integer Notation doesn’t reinvent music theory, it just gives a different way to describe the notes. I’ve been thinking lately about how it might clash with other systems using numbers, like the Nashville Number System for chords or the tab system for guitar. Both of these are too useful to discard for a whole new system and maybe it’s too complicated to be using more than one at a time.
But I think as long as it’s clear what system it is at what time, it’s a small mental adjustment to use the same numbers for different things. For example, the names of the intervals. They do not need to change, in fact we can make them clearer by translating the difference between two numbered notes into the traditional names:
unison = 0
minor 2nd = 1 (2-1)
major 2nd = 2
minor 3rd = 3
major 3rd = 4 (3+1)
perfect 4th = 5 (4+1)
tritone = 6 (3 whole tones)
perfect 5th = 7 (5+2)
minor 6th = 8 (6+2)
major 6th = 9 (6+3)
minor 7th = 10 (7+3)
major 7th = 11 (7+4)
octave = 0 (12 = 8+4)
Man do I hate how WordPress works anymore. Can’t make a simple list? Well that’s my one idea for now.
State of the Records Dept.
Oh look, a tweet I made. Wow. Well, tumblr finally fucked up for good. I can no longer post to my current rotation blog in the same format to keep it consistent. This doesn’t affect anyone but me of course, but I kept it going a long time. Which leads me back to this blog, which—in theory—posts reviews of those records, eventually. And who’s to say it won’t? Me, that’s who, and I’m sayin’…maybe. Doesn’t much matter, it’s all just a grounding exercise to keep some sort of structure to a life that spiraled out of control some time ago and is now sort of a controlled spiral? It’s a slowly upward spiral. I think. That’s how I choose to think of it. Probably plateaus at some point for a while for a while before dropping off into oblivion. I’m optimistic?
Gonna go back to some music theory posts. じゃー
Heyyyyy
We live in interesting times, and as an Old, I must continually remind myself they are not the times I grew up in. So when I say that I have “mixed feelings about America” or something to that effect, I feel I’m pegging myself (pause) as the garden variety degenerate Marxist that I am (I dunno, sometimes), and yet due to the staggering devolution of “Conservative” “thought”, it may actually come off as someone who is still mad about the New Deal, or Alaska and Hawaii becoming states or any kind of social progress over the last century. No. I gotta insist that despite my continued devotion to physical media (and…blogging), I am not That Old. (Or, That Young, what can ya do.) Ａｌｓｏ，it’s been pointed out to me that I’ve made some statements over the years, maybe not that long ago even, about or involving “white people”…at one point I used the word “assimilation” positively. The context was always regarding foreigners in Japan. A person moves to Japan generally does so for a much different reason than moves to America, and they are very different countries. And I also have mixed feelings about Japan, it’s not perfect, but they get some things right (maintaining infrastructure, public transportation)…I’m not one of these dipshits who thinks they were on the right side of WWII. I think Japan is a good example of how we can move on from history into something better. (But as someone who has researched moving there, their immigration procedure could use some work. As could my resume and general lifestyle, we may someday meet in the middle.) Even the worst events in history are something we can move past and people’s attitudes can change. Until the ice caps melt, then we’re pretty fucked. But until then my record player will probably keep working.
Not sure it’s the greatest attitude tbh, but it’s what I’m going with.
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