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astroid-ratio etude #1
Release StoreTags: figured, fucking, i, it, out
Author: astroid on September 13 2006
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this short little song, kept simple so as to highlight the ideas, has tones which are determined by the ratios of the frequencies, not some stupid logarithmic 12th root of 2 formula. you may not be able to hear the difference in the first four chords, but it gets more obvious as the piece develops.
it was rendered on my g2 all one pass.
the process for composing was a little convoluted:
each oscillator has a "central tone" equal to 1:1. there's one pitch modulator which multiplies the numerator, and one which multiplies the denominator, so each midi lane in protools had to have two notes for one tone, centered around c3 (corresponding to 1:1). this level of complexity insured that i'd go for simple things first.
i was tempted to do some pieces which rendered the ratio chords next to the 12-tet chords, but i thought that might be pedantic, even for me.
i'm sure i'll have to explain what the fuck i'm talking about, so here's a head start:
the notes on our piano approximate the vibrations in a harmonic series, but not exactly. in the interest of modulation, all the rage from 1600-1960, the natural system of overtones was gradually forced into a geometric shape which is highly abstract from nature. the natural series uses the simplest of fractions, and the modulatory system uses a logarithm. the reason was simplicity in instrument building-it's easier to use 12 equidistant notes than it is to worry about what ratio one pitch has from another-and what that means for harmony.
composers started to chip away at this over the years by adding more notes to the symmetrical scale-19, 31, 72, 171 notes were some of the favorites. all of these scales are still approximations. if you have heard a barbershop quartet, a really good one, and maybe have tried to copy the chords on a guitar or piano, you'll have noticed that the chords don't "buzz" right-that's because the singers will tend to correct their pitch to the ratios.
so for this, the system was set up, and then i composed by ear. it's possible to get much more subtlety from the system, but i've only used it for a couple days. i think eventually, the 12tet system will fall by the wayside, and composers will learn to use this. | |
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edited: Sep 15 2006
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astroid
thanks a lot!
bla, ex fucking actly. it's thrilling because i have no idea what's going on-but if i keep to a couple simple ideas (keeping either the numerator or denominator the same on harmonies), the harmony kind of forms itsself. i think the ratio idea will make fm/am make more harmonic sense, too, and eventually i'll be able to cross the line into thinking rigorously in timbre and harmony at the same time. eat your heart out, stockhausen of 1950!
not to mention big ideas allow me to say outrageously delsuional things
09/17/06
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FailedSitcom
The concept is fascinating, but doesn't get in the way of the other great elements that make up the song (I feel that the timbres are particularly wonderful on this one) for the likes of me.
09/18/06
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astroid
well thank you kindly.
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