Alpharabian tuning: Difference between revisions

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Building on this logic, we can then apply similar distinctions among quartertones, and thus make the argument that quartertones don't have to denote exactly one fourth of a whole tone in as of themselves, but rather, they only have to add up to a whole tone when paired up correctly.  However, it should be noted that for quartertones, there are sometimes multiple correct options, and thus, things are more complicated.  We shall begin to define the musical functions of quartertones by drawing a distinction between the terms "Parachromatic" and "Paradiatonic" for purposes of classifying quartertone intervals.  For starters, paradiatonic quartertones are analogous to diatonic semitones in that they are denoted as seconds, albeit subminor seconds, while parachromatic quartertones are denoted as superprimes of some sort.  However, the distinction goes further than that – a parachromatic quartertone and a paradiatonic quartertone add up to a diatonic semitone, while two parachromatic quartertones add up to a chromatic semitone.  Given both these definitions for "paradiatonic" and "parachromatic", and given that a diatonic semitone and a chromatic semitone add up to a whole tone when paired correctly, we can deduce that a whole tone can be assembled from three parachromatic quartertones and one paradiatonic quartertone.  Because there are sometimes multiple correct options for assembling parachromatic and paradiatonic intervals to make a 9/8 whole tone, we have to choose the simplest configuration of paradiatonic and parachromatic intervals to assemble in order to create a 9/8 whole tone – a configuration that only requires one type of parachromatic quartertone and one type of paradiatonic quartertone.
Building on this logic, we can then apply similar distinctions among quartertones, and thus make the argument that quartertones don't have to denote exactly one fourth of a whole tone in as of themselves, but rather, they only have to add up to a whole tone when paired up correctly.  However, it should be noted that for quartertones, there are sometimes multiple correct options, and thus, things are more complicated.  We shall begin to define the musical functions of quartertones by drawing a distinction between the terms "Parachromatic" and "Paradiatonic" for purposes of classifying quartertone intervals.  For starters, paradiatonic quartertones are analogous to diatonic semitones in that they are denoted as seconds, albeit subminor seconds, while parachromatic quartertones are denoted as superprimes of some sort.  However, the distinction goes further than that – a parachromatic quartertone and a paradiatonic quartertone add up to a diatonic semitone, while two parachromatic quartertones add up to a chromatic semitone.  Given both these definitions for "paradiatonic" and "parachromatic", and given that a diatonic semitone and a chromatic semitone add up to a whole tone when paired correctly, we can deduce that a whole tone can be assembled from three parachromatic quartertones and one paradiatonic quartertone.  Because there are sometimes multiple correct options for assembling parachromatic and paradiatonic intervals to make a 9/8 whole tone, we have to choose the simplest configuration of paradiatonic and parachromatic intervals to assemble in order to create a 9/8 whole tone – a configuration that only requires one type of parachromatic quartertone and one type of paradiatonic quartertone.


When one checks the 11-limit's representation of quartertones against those of the other rational intervals called "quarter tones" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pitch_intervals on Wikipedia's list of pitch intervals], one will find the 11-limit's [[33/32]] and [[4096/3993]] to be better pairing than any of the other options in terms of ratio simplicity.  Furthermore, just as a stack of [[3/2]] perfect fifths forms a sequence in which every other octave-reduced pitch is a whole tone apart, a stack of [[11/8]] paramajor fourths forms a sequence in which every other octave-reduced pitch is the octave complement of a stack of [[128/121]] diatonic semitones.  As the 11-limit handles stacks of [[128/121]] diatonic semitones in much the same way that the 3-limit handles stacks of [[256/243]], conserving interval arithmetic, it can thus be argued that the 11-limit meets the standards set by the 3-limit in this respect.  In fact, since the 11-limit semitones are actually closer to half of a whole tone that either one of the 3-limit semitones- and especially since the 11-limit's version of a double sharp fifth only differs from the 3-limit's major sixth by the [[unnoticeable comma|unnoticeable]] [[nexuma]] – it can be argued that the 11-limit makes for good semitone representation as well.  With this information in hand, we can now safely assume that the 11-limit ''does'' is fact, carry the function of a navigational axis.  It is this foundation on which the idea of Alpharabian tuning rests.
When one checks the 11-limit's representation of quartertones against those of the other rational intervals called "quarter tones" [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_pitch_intervals on Wikipedia's list of pitch intervals], one will find the 11-limit's [[33/32]] and [[4096/3993]] to be better pairing than any of the other options in terms of ratio simplicity.  Furthermore, just as a stack of [[3/2]] perfect fifths forms a sequence in which every other octave-reduced pitch is a whole tone apart, a stack of [[11/8]] paramajor fourths forms a sequence in which every other octave-reduced pitch is the octave complement of a stack of [[128/121]] diatonic semitones.  As the 11-limit handles stacks of [[128/121]] diatonic semitones in much the same way that the 3-limit handles stacks of [[256/243]], conserving interval arithmetic, it can thus be argued that the 11-limit meets the standards set by the 3-limit in this respect.  In fact, since the 11-limit semitones are actually closer to half of a whole tone that either one of the 3-limit semitones- and especially since the 11-limit's version of a double sharp fifth only differs from the 3-limit's major sixth by the [[unnoticeable comma|unnoticeable]] [[nexus comma]] – it can be argued that the 11-limit makes for good semitone representation as well.  With this information in hand, we can now safely assume that the 11-limit ''does'' is fact, carry the function of a navigational axis.  It is this foundation on which the idea of Alpharabian tuning rests.


== Interval Naming Scheme ==
== Interval Naming Scheme ==