EDO vs ET: Difference between revisions

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<h2>IMPORTED REVISION FROM WIKISPACES</h2>

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: This revision was by author [[User:genewardsmith|genewardsmith]] and made on <tt>2012-09-24 10:37:12 UTC</tt>.<br>

: This revision was by author [[User:genewardsmith|genewardsmith]] and made on <tt>2012-09-24 15:45:42 UTC</tt>.<br>

: The original revision id was <tt>~~367276002~~</tt>.<br>

: The original revision id was <tt>367396304</tt>.<br>

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However, it is not always true that those using EDOs are interested in approximating JI, nor is it true that describing all EDOs in terms of approximate JI is universally helpful or illuminating. As an example of the former, consider the atonalists, a loose school of 20th-century composers who sought to embrace the "equality" of equal temperament by treating every note as having equal musical importance, and thereby escape connotations of tonality that had previously defined Western classical music.

Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question arises of what is being gained in the process. One answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the <7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music.

Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question arises of what is being gained in the process. One possible answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the <7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music. While true, this is also not really relevant to the use of 7-EDO itself as a

musical scale.

Consider also 9-EDO; this has nearly pure intervals of 7/6 and 12/7, so close (one fifth of a cent) that they really cannot be heard as other than JI. However that is not enough to give 9-EDO the overall character of approximate JI. Nor does the fact that it possesses the same 400 cent major thirds as 12-EDO really do it, and the attempt to hear 667 cents as a fifth is at best marginally successful. What we find is a peculiar hybrid, a chimera neither fish nor fowl.

==The EDO paradigm==

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However, it is not always true that those using EDOs are interested in approximating JI, nor is it true that describing all EDOs in terms of approximate JI is universally helpful or illuminating. As an example of the former, consider the atonalists, a loose school of 20th-century composers who sought to embrace the &quot;equality&quot; of equal temperament by treating every note as having equal musical importance, and thereby escape connotations of tonality that had previously defined Western classical music. <br />

<br />

Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question arises of what is being gained in the process. One answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music.<br />

Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question arises of what is being gained in the process. One possible answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music. While true, this is also not really relevant to the use of 7-EDO itself as a<br />

musical scale. <br />

<br />

Consider also 9-EDO; this has nearly pure intervals of 7/6 and 12/7, so close (one fifth of a cent) that they really cannot be heard as other than JI. However that is not enough to give 9-EDO the overall character of approximate JI. Nor does the fact that it possesses the same 400 cent major thirds as 12-EDO really do it, and the attempt to hear 667 cents as a fifth is at best marginally successful. What we find is a peculiar hybrid, a chimera neither fish nor fowl.<br />

<br />

<h2 id="toc2"><a name="EDOs vs. Equal Temperaments-The EDO paradigm"></a>The EDO paradigm</h2>

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 <h2>IMPORTED REVISION FROM WIKISPACES</h2>
 This is an imported revision from Wikispaces. The revision metadata is included below for reference:<br>
-: This revision was by author [[User:genewardsmith|genewardsmith]] and made on <tt>2012-09-24 10:37:12 UTC</tt>.<br>
+: This revision was by author [[User:genewardsmith|genewardsmith]] and made on <tt>2012-09-24 15:45:42 UTC</tt>.<br>
-: The original revision id was <tt>367276002</tt>.<br>
+: The original revision id was <tt>367396304</tt>.<br>
 : The revision comment was: <tt></tt><br>
 The revision contents are below, presented both in the original Wikispaces Wikitext format, and in HTML exactly as Wikispaces rendered it.<br>
@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 However, it is not always true that those using EDOs are interested in approximating JI, nor is it true that describing all EDOs in terms of approximate JI is universally helpful or illuminating. As an example of the former, consider the atonalists, a loose school of 20th-century composers who sought to embrace the "equality" of equal temperament by treating every note as having equal musical importance, and thereby escape connotations of tonality that had previously defined Western classical music.
-Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question  arises of what is being gained in the process. One answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music.
+Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question  arises of what is being gained in the process. One possible answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music. While true, this is also not really relevant to the use of 7-EDO itself as a
+musical scale.
+Consider also 9-EDO; this has nearly pure intervals of 7/6 and 12/7, so close (one fifth of a cent) that they really cannot be heard as other than JI. However that is not enough to give 9-EDO the overall character of approximate JI. Nor does the fact that it possesses the same 400 cent major thirds as 12-EDO really do it, and the attempt to hear 667 cents as a fifth is at best marginally successful. What we find is a peculiar hybrid, a chimera neither fish nor fowl.
 ==The EDO paradigm==
@@ Line 36: / Line 39: @@
 However, it is not always true that those using EDOs are interested in approximating JI, nor is it true that describing all EDOs in terms of approximate JI is universally helpful or illuminating. As an example of the former, consider the atonalists, a loose school of 20th-century composers who sought to embrace the &amp;quot;equality&amp;quot; of equal temperament by treating every note as having equal musical importance, and thereby escape connotations of tonality that had previously defined Western classical music. &lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
-Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question  arises of what is being gained in the process. One answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &amp;lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music.&lt;br /&gt;
+Consider also 7-EDO: there is not a single triadic sonority within the EDO that is concordant enough to plausibly be conflated with Just Intonation, and attempts to describe its harmonic structures in terms of Just ratios is often more confusing than it is illuminating. It is not impossible to treat 7-EDO as an equal temperament, but the question  arises of what is being gained in the process. One possible answer to that is that 7-EDO treated as a temperament, even though it is not actually used as one, is basic to Western musical theory. One step is a tone, two steps a third, three steps a fourth, four steps a fifth, five steps a sixth, six steps a seventh, and seven steps an octave. These can be major, minor, diminished or augmented, which are all the same to 7-EDO. It is understood that the perfect octave is a 2, and the perfect fifth must approximate 3/2; if the perfect major third approximates 5/4 then we have the &amp;lt;7 11 16| val of 7-EDO as a temperament lying behind the terminology of Western music. While true, this is also not really relevant to the use of 7-EDO itself as a&lt;br /&gt;
+musical scale. &lt;br /&gt;
+&lt;br /&gt;
+Consider also 9-EDO; this has nearly pure intervals of 7/6 and 12/7, so close (one fifth of a cent) that they really cannot be heard as other than JI. However that is not enough to give 9-EDO the overall character of approximate JI. Nor does the fact that it possesses the same 400 cent major thirds as 12-EDO really do it, and the attempt to hear 667 cents as a fifth is at best marginally successful. What we find is a peculiar hybrid, a chimera neither fish nor fowl.&lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;br /&gt;
 &lt;!-- ws:start:WikiTextHeadingRule:4:&amp;lt;h2&amp;gt; --&gt;&lt;h2 id="toc2"&gt;&lt;a name="EDOs vs. Equal Temperaments-The EDO paradigm"&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;!-- ws:end:WikiTextHeadingRule:4 --&gt;The EDO paradigm&lt;/h2&gt;