User:BudjarnLambeth: Difference between revisions

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==Random stuff I’d like to share==
===Reference lists and technical resources===
 
====List of equal divisions including novelties====


===List of equal divisions including novelties===
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/List of equal divisions including novelties]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/List of equal divisions including novelties]]
<br>


===Hot takes===
====Tunings for each subgroup====
'''Everything in this section is opinion, not facts!'''


'''Do not give any of it too much weight.'''
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Tunings for each subgroup]]


* '''Silliness:''' We should take ourselves less seriously: we should have more fun, we should be more silly 🎉
====12edo interpreted as a 2.3.5.17.19 subgroup temperament====
* '''Arbitrary numbers:''' It’s fine to explore the 2.3.5.101 [[subgroup]] if you want to. It doesn’t matter that it’s less [[concordant]] than 2.3.5.7. Explore it anyway and see what happens. Do some stuff with [[:Category:Novelties|arbitrary numbers]] that don’t make logical sense and just see what comes of it. That’s where the fun is! (Though do keep a “2.3” or “3.5” in there just to smooth over the gnarliest edges, heehee.)
* '''Importance of common names:''' I would prefer to use a temperament [[Temperament naming|named]] something fun like “waterslide” or “jinglebells” even if it has lots of error, over one named something dry and bland like “countertrihexakleismatic” even if it’s super [[damage|accurate]] and [[badness|technically better]] - a bland name can kill a temperament’s appeal, a fun name can create appeal out of nothing.
* '''My opinion on zeta peak indexes:''' My view on to what degree [[zeta peak index]]es are useful or not.


::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/My opinion on zeta peak indexes]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/12edo as a 2.3.5.17.19 tuning]]
* '''Misrepresentation of traditions:''' A cheeky little opinion piece I wrote criticising the negative and celebrating the positive ways Western tuning theory has borrowed from the world’s traditions:


::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Cultural appropriation-o-meter]]
<br>
* '''Comma naming debate brainstorm:''' A futile attempt I made to try to begin resolving one of the big behind the scenes debates among wiki editors:


::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Brainstorming mostly bad ideas to solve the comma naming debate]]
===Scale recommendations===
* '''Rating my wiki contributions'''


::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Rating my wiki contributions]]
====Neji scales I found while tinkering in Scale Workshop====
<br>


===My favourite hexanies using at least one odd greater than 15===
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Neji scales I found while tinkering in Scale Workshop]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/My favourite hexanies using at least one odd greater than 15]]
<br><br>


===Neji scales I found while tinkering in Scale Workshop===
====Approximations of gamelan scales in edos up to 60 (in my opinion)====
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Neji scales I found while tinkering in Scale Workshop]]
<br><br>


===Approximations of gamelan scales in edos up to 60 (in my opinion)===
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Edo approximations of gamelan scales]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Edo approximations of gamelan scales]]
<br><br>


===Some good tunings of Japanese scales (in my opinion)===
====Some good tunings of Japanese scales (in my opinion)====
 
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Some tunings for Japanese scales]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Some tunings for Japanese scales]]
<br><br>


===Eagle JI subsets===
====My favourite hexanies using at least one odd greater than 15====
 
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/My favourite hexanies using at least one odd greater than 15]]
 
====Eagle JI subsets====
 
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Eagle JI subsets]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Eagle JI subsets]]
<br><br>


===12edo interpreted as a 2.3.5.17.19 subgroup temperament===
<br>
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/12edo as a 2.3.5.17.19 tuning]]
 
<br><br>
===Community projects I started===


===Tunings for each subgroup===
====Gallery of xenharmonic word painting (you can contribute!)====
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Tunings for each subgroup]]
<br><br>


===Gallery of xenharmonic word painting (you can contribute!)===
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Gallery of xenharmonic word painting]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Gallery of xenharmonic word painting]]
<br><br>


===The 13 levels of xenharmony (you can contribute!)===
====The 13 levels of xenharmony (you can contribute!)====
 
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/13 levels of xenharmony]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/13 levels of xenharmony]]
<br><br>


===What I look for in a good xenharmonic piece===
====WikiProject Just Intonation (you can contribute!) ====
The tuning sounds consonant, all the combinations of intervals you used sound within the same range of consonant-ness as all the combinations available in 12edo. There are more dissonant and less dissonant sections, but none that sound more dissonant than the maximum limit of dissonance I'm willing to tolerate (ie, the maximum amount of dissonance achievable with 12edo). All that is a long winded way of saying nothing sounds "out of tune".


The timbre also sounds good. Despite being midi instruments, the samples used and whatever effects were applied to them (reverb, volume levels, etc.) all come together well into something that is more than the sum of its parts. The timbre works well with the tuning to create a kind of pleasant, warm glow.
* [[Xenharmonic Wiki:WikiProject Just Intonation]]


The piece has enough dynamic range, sense of harmonic movement, and interaction between melody lines to hold my interest, to not sound bland, but instead sound captivating.
<br>
<br><br><br>


===Stats and surveys about the wiki===
===Stats and surveys about the wiki===
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of 100 random wiki pages]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of 100 random wiki pages]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of todo categories]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of todo categories]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of named and unnamed commas]]
* [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Survey of named and unnamed commas]]
* [[Tuning regulars]]
* [[Tuning regulars]]
<br><br>


===Ratios as planets===
<br>
 
===Hot takes===
'''Everything in this section is opinion, not facts!'''
 
'''Do not give any of it too much weight.'''
 
* '''Silliness:''' We should take ourselves less seriously: we should have more fun, we should be more silly 🎉
* '''Arbitrary numbers:''' It’s fine to explore the 2.3.5.101 [[subgroup]] if you want to. It doesn’t matter that it’s less [[concordant]] than 2.3.5.7. Explore it anyway and see what happens. Do some stuff with [[:Category:Novelties|arbitrary numbers]] that don’t make logical sense and just see what comes of it. That’s where the fun is! (Though do keep a “2.3” or “3.5” in there just to smooth over the gnarliest edges, heehee.)
* '''Importance of common names:''' I would prefer to use a temperament [[Temperament naming|named]] something fun like “waterslide” or “jinglebells” even if it has lots of error, over one named something dry and bland like “countertrihexakleismatic” even if it’s super [[damage|accurate]] and [[badness|technically better]] - a bland name can kill a temperament’s appeal, a fun name can create appeal out of nothing.
* '''My opinion on zeta peak indexes:''' My view on to what degree [[zeta peak index]]es are useful or not.
 
::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/My opinion on zeta peak indexes]]
 
* '''Misrepresentation of traditions:''' A cheeky little opinion piece I wrote criticising the negative and celebrating the positive ways Western tuning theory has borrowed from the world’s traditions:
 
::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Cultural appropriation-o-meter]]
 
* '''Comma naming debate brainstorm:''' A futile attempt I made to try to begin resolving one of the big behind the scenes debates among wiki editors:
 
::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Brainstorming mostly bad ideas to solve the comma naming debate]]
 
* '''Rating my wiki contributions'''
 
::: [[User:BudjarnLambeth/Rating my wiki contributions]]
 
<br>
 
===Fun: Ratios as planets===
 
The ratios of the octave as celestial bodies of the solar system:
The ratios of the octave as celestial bodies of the solar system:
* '''[[2/1]], the sun''', defining the overall structure of the entire octave.
* '''[[2/1]], the sun''', defining the overall structure of the entire octave.
* '''[[3/2]], Jupiter''', the biggest pull aside from the sun itself. Marks out a rough middle of the solar system.
* '''[[3/2]], Jupiter''', the biggest pull aside from the sun itself. Marks out a rough middle of the solar system.
Line 893: Line 907:
* '''[[9/5]], Ceres'''. It doesn’t pull much weight on its own, but in the context of the wider solar system, it demarcates an important in-between point for the other planets. If you want to travel between the different planets, Ceres makes the journey much more pleasant.
* '''[[9/5]], Ceres'''. It doesn’t pull much weight on its own, but in the context of the wider solar system, it demarcates an important in-between point for the other planets. If you want to travel between the different planets, Ceres makes the journey much more pleasant.
* '''[[11/8]], Pluto''', often dismissed outright due to having such a tiny gravitational pull. But it is a whole other type of ‘planet’, the first of a whole new family. When approached on its own terms, it opens up a larger, more diverse solar system than we ever knew existed.
* '''[[11/8]], Pluto''', often dismissed outright due to having such a tiny gravitational pull. But it is a whole other type of ‘planet’, the first of a whole new family. When approached on its own terms, it opens up a larger, more diverse solar system than we ever knew existed.
<br><br>
 
<br>
 
===Fun: What I look for in a good xenharmonic piece===
 
The tuning sounds consonant, all the combinations of intervals you used sound within the same range of consonant-ness as all the combinations available in 12edo. There are more dissonant and less dissonant sections, but none that sound more dissonant than the maximum limit of dissonance I'm willing to tolerate (ie, the maximum amount of dissonance achievable with 12edo). All that is a long winded way of saying nothing sounds "out of tune".
 
The timbre also sounds good. Despite being midi instruments, the samples used and whatever effects were applied to them (reverb, volume levels, etc.) all come together well into something that is more than the sum of its parts. The timbre works well with the tuning to create a kind of pleasant, warm glow.
 
The piece has enough dynamic range, sense of harmonic movement, and interaction between melody lines to hold my interest, to not sound bland, but instead sound captivating.
 
<br>


== Useful links for my own convenience ==
== Useful links for my own convenience ==

Revision as of 22:55, 5 February 2026

Not to be confused with lambeth chords nor 1573/1568 (the lambeth comma). Those are unrelated to me.


This is the user page of Budjarn Lambeth, an amateur, hobbyist:

  • wiki contributor
  • scalesmith
  • music theorist
  • improviser-composer



Personal information



Music I made

My original microtonal music is hosted on YouTube:



Groups I belong to

I'm a contributor to:



My favourite microtonal composers

(alphabetical order)

See also: my Apple Music playlists (mostly not microtonal, but some are): @budjarn Apple Music playlists.



Discoveries made

AI summary

I don't and won't ever use AI for contributions to wiki pages, I'm only using it this once to summarize my own user page (this page) because it is currently difficult to read. Also, I did not ask the AI to scrape the wiki, I used my own local copies of my pages from my computer to ask the AI about.

Theoretical frameworks

Lambeth has proposed several original theoretical frameworks for understanding and composing microtonal music.

Quasipelog theory

This is a framework for approaching 16edo (and other EDOs supporting the 2.3.5.11 mavila temperament, like EDOS 23, 30, 37, and 39). It is inspired by Indonesian Gamelan theory, the Armodue school, and Erv Wilson's MOS scales.

  • Concept: It focuses on specific scales that mimic the feel of Pelog scales but within a 16-tone equal temperament context.
  • Scales: The theory defines four essential scales derived from Mavila MOS modes:
    • Quasipelog Minor: Mode ssLsL of mavila[5].
    • Quasipelog Major: Mode LssLs of mavila[5].
    • Quasipelog Heptatonic: Mode ssLssLs of mavila[7].
    • Quasipelog Chromatic: A mavila[16] MOS scale (7 fifths up, 8 down).
  • Timbre: A key part of the theory is the avoidance of harmonic timbres. Lambeth recommends "inharmonic" sounds such as metallophones, bells, or "thin/reedy" waveforms (like sine or woodwinds) to complement the tuning.
Structural beating

Lambeth hypothesized this property for equal-step tunings where the period of the scale differs from the interval of psychoacoustic equivalence (usually the octave, 2/1).

  • Effect: Because the scale repeats at an interval different from the ear's point of equivalence, the scale creates a macro-scale "beating" or phasing effect as it ascends or descends.
  • Goal: This is considered a desirable property that makes a periodic scale feel less repetitive, offering shifting colors and shapes ("something from nothing").
  • Examples: Equal divisions of sevenths (e.g., ed7/4) or ninths (ed16/9) if the equivalence is the octave.
Polytriadicism

This concept involves tuning an ensemble (of 2 or more instruments/groups) so that each is tuned to a different triad or subset of a larger overarching scale.

  • Application: It allows composers to approach complex temperaments (like those without consonant small MOS scales) or large just intonation sets by breaking them down into simpler, manageable triadic parts.
  • Function: It can be used to "flag" different rhythmic elements harmonically or to create complex, interweaving voice lines that generate consonance from the aggregate of the instruments.
  • Example: Shoal[17], a 17-tone MOS scale in the Shoal temperament (a 2.3.13.23 subgroup detemper of 17edo), is cited as a prime candidate for this approach.
Equalizer subgroups

A just intonation subgroup designed to balance specific types of harmonics to achieve a specific aesthetic.

  • Criteria:
    • Structural Harmonics (2, 3, 4, 5): 2 or 3 present. They provide stability and "tonal gravity."
    • Assertive Harmonics (5–12): None present. These are excluded because they have "strong personalities" that define the scale's flavor too rigidly.
    • Ethereal Harmonics (13+): At least 3 present. These provide subtle, background influence.
  • Goal: To allow subtle "ethereal" harmonics to shine by removing the "assertive" middle harmonics, akin to using an EQ to cut mids and boost highs/lows.
  • Examples: Subgroups like (2.3.5.13.17.19) used in Lambeth's Fifigeist temperament.
Substitute harmonics

This theory involves replacing a simple, lower harmonic with a complex, higher harmonic that closely approximates it, thereby "fudging" the tuning into a different subgroup.

  • Sharp Substitutes: Replacing a harmonic with a slightly sharper higher harmonic. Lambeth names these temperaments after weapons or with "com"-ending names (e.g., Daggerminished, Pajaraxe, Dotcom, Sitcom, Romcom).
  • Flat Substitutes: Replacing with a flatter harmonic. Naming convention involves flat regions (e.g., Sahara).

Scalesmithing

Lambeth has invented numerous specific scales and temperaments.

  • Batch 89 Temperaments: A set of temperaments first documented in 2023, honoring the characters from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Each tempers 4 harmonics: the 2nd, the 89th (representing shared trauma), and two others derived from the character's name via A1Z26 cipher.
    • Floor: 2.3.11.89 (Neutral related).
    • Teefs: 2.5.11.89 (Bug related).
    • Rocket: 2.9+.9-.89 (Lu/Deutone related).
  • Ed255/128 and Ed257/128: These are "Equal Divisions of Reduced Harmonics."
    • Ed255/128: Divides the interval 255/128 (slightly flatter than an octave). Useful for correcting EDOs where consonances are too sharp (e.g., used as an alternative to 5edo).
    • Ed257/128: Divides the interval 257/128 (slightly sharper than an octave). Useful for correcting EDOs where consonances are too flat (e.g., alternative to 7edo).
  • Antipental Blues scale: A 6-tone scale subset of the Dwarf17marv scale. It mimics the melodic shape of the minor blues scale but uses exotic 2.3.7.11 intervals (7/6, 11/8, 7/4) instead of the standard 5-limit intervals.
  • Moon Dust scale: A 16-tone just intonation scale with a period of 16/1 (four octaves). It features dynamic step sizes and a mix of familiar 3-limit harmonies with xenharmonic 19-limit (no-5, no-13) intervals.
  • Firedance scale: A 5-tone subset of zeta-stretched 15edo (47zpi). It was designed by ear, starting from 5edo and adjusting steps by degrees of 15edo.

Tuning recommendations

Lambeth recommends the following tunings for Western musicians exploring world music traditions:



Wiki contributions

Improvements to the broader wiki

Significant page creations

Bulk page improvements

Structural wiki improvements

(list and table creations)

Constructed:

(comma documentation and organisation)

(name changes I was involved in)

Correcting confusing names
  • There was an old temperament that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “septimal temperament”. When I discovered the name, I disliked it because of its potential for confusion with other uses of the term “septimal”. I decided I wanted to change it. Many people on Discord, the Wiki Workgroup on XA Facebook, and the wiki talk page agreed. I coined the new name “austinpowers temperament” which has now replaced it.
  • There was an old temperament that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “decades temperament”. Some people on the XA Discord said that they disliked it due to its convoluted etymology. I coined the new name “gamelstearn temperament” based on its two defining commas. After a few days, not many people commented or reacted to the proposal, but all were in favour and none were against, so the name "gamelstearn" was adopted.
  • There used to be two temperaments named “semidim temperament”. To resolve the confusion, after discussion on the XA Discord, myself and Lériendil came up with new names for each of the two temperaments. Lériendil coined “ammon temperament” for the first, and I coined “octonion temperament” for the second.
  • There was an old comma that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “the erogluisma”. Its original namer posted on Discord that he no longer liked it, and would like someone to please rename it. I coined the new name “the shaftesburisma” which has now replaced it.
  • Someone else described a new comma and named it “the shikanokonokonokokoshitantanma”. This name was kept, but it was too long for some use cases, so I invented an alternate short version - “the nokotan” - for use cases where a shorter name is needed.
  • The comma “68630377364883 / 68630356164608” was too long to be referred to by its number alone, it needed a name instead. So I named it “the zudilisma”.
Correcting divisive or hurtful names
  • There was an old temperament that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “catcall temperament”. When I discovered the name, I disliked it because it was demeaning to women. I decided I wanted to change it. Many people on Discord and on the wiki talk page agreed. I coined the new name “catnip temperament” which has now replaced it.
  • There was an old temperament that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “catamite temperament”. When I discovered the name, I disliked it because it referenced a historical practice that often involved child abuse. I decided I wanted to change it. I suggested the change on the talk page where it received no replies, and the Discord where it received few reactions but those it did receive were in favour. I coined the new name “stalagmite temperament” which has now replaced it.
  • There was an old comma that pre-dated my participation in the wiki. Its old, original name was “the Buddhisma”. There was nothing wrong with that name in and of itself, the problem is that it was explicitly stated to be named after the anti-Muslim group the 969 Movement, and the comma number was 969/968. I thought this was inappropriate, so I proposed a few replacement names on Discord. Of the names I coined “the kingfisher comma” was the clear favourite, so I renamed the comma to the kingfisher comma.

Full list of contributions



Pages on my own discoveries

Invented approaches to constructing tunings

These are the same category of thing as “equal temperaments”.

Procedural approaches:

Sculptural approaches:

Invented approaches to classifying tunings

These are the same category of thing as “pentatonic scales”.

Invented tunings (scales)

These are the same category of thing as “the chromatic scale”.

(named after theory properties)
(named after subjective feeling)
(polymicrotonal)
(arithmetic pitch sequence)

Invented tunings (regular temperaments)

These are the same category of thing as “quarter-comma meantone temperament”.



(To-do)

Things I plan to do on the wiki in the near future. Feel free to go ahead and do these any of these things first if you’re interested in doing so. I feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of things I want to do and am very happy for any help I receive getting through it all :)

WikiProject Just Intonation

  • Recruit more members (especially an expert on Harry Partch, an expert on Erv Wilson, or an expert on primodality).
  • Examine the names of all Scala file pages and rename those with confusing or ambiguous names.
  • Find all examples of multiple similar Scala file pages (eg "exampletone10", "exampletone15", "exampletone_major") and merge them into scale galleries.
  • Record improvisations using JI scales that have no music examples, and post those as examples on the relevant scale pages.
  • Add handmade tables of intervals to pages about JI scales that have a fixed tonic (are not rotatable).

Structural wiki improvements

Construct diagrams or lists

Improve pages I made

  • On my page 5- to 10-tone scales in 60edo, change the scales to be in the more compact format that is used on edo pages instead of a ‘Scala-like’ format
  • On my page 5- to 10-tone scales in 72edo, change the scales to be in the more compact format that is used on edo pages instead of a ‘Scala-like’ format
  • On my page 5- to 10-tone scales in 84edo, change the scales to be in the more compact format that is used on edo pages instead of a ‘Scala-like’ format
  • On my page 5- to 10-tone scales in 91edo, change the scales to be in the more compact format that is used on edo pages instead of a ‘Scala-like’ format
  • On my page 5- to 10-tone scales in 96edo, change the scales to be in the more compact format that is used on edo pages instead of a ‘Scala-like’ format

Explore, discover, document

  • Find nice 5 to 7 tone subsets of Shaka10, Starling12, Thrush12 and document them under a “subsets” heading on those scales’ pages
  • Find more unique scales in Catnip[36] in 60edo that can’t be replicated in Compton[36] and document them on 5- to 10-tone scales in 60edo
  • Find 4 to 7 tone subsets for every 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 or 19-tone scale page

Approximate x in y

Tobago6
101.53846
350.76923
600.
701.53846
950.76923
1200.

Zeus1
157.57576
387.87879
545.45455
703.03030
1042.42424
2/1

Oceanfront5
227.82
486.09
713.91
972.18
1200.

Oceanfront Ionian Pent.
455.64
486.09
713.91
1169.55
1200.

Oceanfront Minor Harmonic Pent.
258.27
486.09
713.91
1169.55
1200.

Oceanfront Mixolydian Pent.
455.64
486.09
713.91
972.18
1200.

Oceanfront Adrift Pent.
197.37
258.27
683.46
713.91
1200.
5edo
1\5
2\5
3\5
4\5
5\5

6edo
1\6
2\6
3\6
4\6
5\6
6\6

7edo
1\7
2\7
3\7
4\7
5\7
6\7

Slendric6
233.68421
467.36842
701.05263
934.73684
966.31579
1200.

Tobago6
101.53846
350.76923
600.
701.53846
950.76923
1200.

Zeus1
157.57576
387.87879
545.45455
703.03030
1042.42424
1200.

Oceanfront5
227.82
486.09
713.91
972.18
1200.

Oceanfront Ionian Pent.
455.64
486.09
713.91
1169.55
1200.

Oceanfront Minor Harmonic Pent.
258.27
486.09
713.91
1169.55
1200.

Oceanfront Mixolydian Pent.
455.64
486.09
713.91
972.18
1200.

Oceanfront Adrift Pent.
197.37
258.27
683.46
713.91
1200.
Antipental Blues
7/6
4/3
11/8
3/2
7/4
2/1

Evened Minor Hexatonic
187.500
312.500
500.000
700.000
987.500
1200.000

Evened Phrygian Dominant Hexatonic
112.500
387.500
500.000
712.500
987.500
1200.000

Flattened Blues Aeolian Pentatonic
287.500
487.500
687.500
787.500
1200.000

Flattened Blues Minor Maj7
287.500
500.000
600.000
700.000
1100.000
1200.000

Roughened Blues Dorian Pentatonic
300.000
700.000
912.500
987.500
1200.000

Sharpened Blues Aeolian Pentatonic
312.500
712.500
800.000
1000.000
1200.000

Sharpened Blues Dorian Hexatonic
312.500
512.500
712.500
900.000
1012.500
1200.000

Sharpened Blues Harmonic Septatonic
312.500
512.500
612.500
712.500
812.500
1112.500
1200.000

Sharpened Dorian Harmonic
212.500
312.500
612.500
712.500
912.500
1012.500
1200.000

Sharpened Hirajoshi
200.000
312.500
700.000
812.500
1200.000

Sharpened Kokin-Joshi
200.000
312.500
700.000
900.000
1200.000

Sharpened Minor Pentatonic
312.500
500.000
700.000
1012.500
1200.000

Xenharmonify 12edo scales

Approximate 12edo subsets with these tunings, test them by noodling, and list all good-sounding ones in a big page:



Reference lists and technical resources

List of equal divisions including novelties

Tunings for each subgroup

12edo interpreted as a 2.3.5.17.19 subgroup temperament


Scale recommendations

Neji scales I found while tinkering in Scale Workshop

Approximations of gamelan scales in edos up to 60 (in my opinion)

Some good tunings of Japanese scales (in my opinion)

My favourite hexanies using at least one odd greater than 15

Eagle JI subsets


Community projects I started

Gallery of xenharmonic word painting (you can contribute!)

The 13 levels of xenharmony (you can contribute!)

WikiProject Just Intonation (you can contribute!)


Stats and surveys about the wiki


Hot takes

Everything in this section is opinion, not facts!

Do not give any of it too much weight.

  • Silliness: We should take ourselves less seriously: we should have more fun, we should be more silly 🎉
  • Arbitrary numbers: It’s fine to explore the 2.3.5.101 subgroup if you want to. It doesn’t matter that it’s less concordant than 2.3.5.7. Explore it anyway and see what happens. Do some stuff with arbitrary numbers that don’t make logical sense and just see what comes of it. That’s where the fun is! (Though do keep a “2.3” or “3.5” in there just to smooth over the gnarliest edges, heehee.)
  • Importance of common names: I would prefer to use a temperament named something fun like “waterslide” or “jinglebells” even if it has lots of error, over one named something dry and bland like “countertrihexakleismatic” even if it’s super accurate and technically better - a bland name can kill a temperament’s appeal, a fun name can create appeal out of nothing.
  • My opinion on zeta peak indexes: My view on to what degree zeta peak indexes are useful or not.
User:BudjarnLambeth/My opinion on zeta peak indexes
  • Misrepresentation of traditions: A cheeky little opinion piece I wrote criticising the negative and celebrating the positive ways Western tuning theory has borrowed from the world’s traditions:
User:BudjarnLambeth/Cultural appropriation-o-meter
  • Comma naming debate brainstorm: A futile attempt I made to try to begin resolving one of the big behind the scenes debates among wiki editors:
User:BudjarnLambeth/Brainstorming mostly bad ideas to solve the comma naming debate
  • Rating my wiki contributions
User:BudjarnLambeth/Rating my wiki contributions


Fun: Ratios as planets

The ratios of the octave as celestial bodies of the solar system:

  • 2/1, the sun, defining the overall structure of the entire octave.
  • 3/2, Jupiter, the biggest pull aside from the sun itself. Marks out a rough middle of the solar system.
  • 4/3, Saturn, a kind of echo of Jupiter. Vast and mighty in its own right, similar to Jupiter, but colder and subtler.
  • 5/3, Uranus, has a strong enough pull to be one of the big guys, but markedly smaller than Jupiter and Saturn. Has a gentle appearance.
  • 5/4, Neptune, the last of the giant planets, with their huge gravitational pull. Has an energetic, lively surface with the fastest winds in the solar system. Defines the boundary of the Kuiper Belt (like the boundary of major and minor tonality).
  • 6/5, Earth, a small planet that punches above its weight. It manages to hold an unreasonably large moon, given the small gravitational influence it has. It even developed life and sent probes to explore the other planets. It has far more influence than it seems like it should.
  • 7/4, Venus, a kind of parallel version of Earth. Its diameter and gravitational pull are almost identical to Earth, but its character is completely different. Home to a completely different temperature, chemical composition and volcanic system.
  • 7/5, Mars, appears barren and frozen upon first glance, but looking closer reveals a rich and storied history, and potential wonders and microcosms hidden in its underground caves.
  • 8/5, Mercury. Caught in a region of the solar system so wild that much of its mass has been stripped away by the solar wind while it was still forming. Still, it holds firm, a foothold in difficult territory.
  • 7/6, the moon. Caught in Earth’s orbit, it’s difficult to view separately from the Earth’s influence. If the Earth wasn’t there, it’d be a whole planet in its own right.
  • 9/5, Ceres. It doesn’t pull much weight on its own, but in the context of the wider solar system, it demarcates an important in-between point for the other planets. If you want to travel between the different planets, Ceres makes the journey much more pleasant.
  • 11/8, Pluto, often dismissed outright due to having such a tiny gravitational pull. But it is a whole other type of ‘planet’, the first of a whole new family. When approached on its own terms, it opens up a larger, more diverse solar system than we ever knew existed.


Fun: What I look for in a good xenharmonic piece

The tuning sounds consonant, all the combinations of intervals you used sound within the same range of consonant-ness as all the combinations available in 12edo. There are more dissonant and less dissonant sections, but none that sound more dissonant than the maximum limit of dissonance I'm willing to tolerate (ie, the maximum amount of dissonance achievable with 12edo). All that is a long winded way of saying nothing sounds "out of tune".

The timbre also sounds good. Despite being midi instruments, the samples used and whatever effects were applied to them (reverb, volume levels, etc.) all come together well into something that is more than the sum of its parts. The timbre works well with the tuning to create a kind of pleasant, warm glow.

The piece has enough dynamic range, sense of harmonic movement, and interaction between melody lines to hold my interest, to not sound bland, but instead sound captivating.


Useful links for my own convenience


User:BudjarnLambeth/Sandbox

User:BudjarnLambeth/Sandbox2

Gallery of just intervals

Harmonic entropy of just intervals

User:Userminusone/Constructing a comma list using the Averiant

User:Ganaram inukshuk/Catalog of MOS Scales