Interestingly enough, while working on an implementation of this in OpenMusic, I realized that if the input set does not contain at least one even and one odd interval (number of half steps), there will never be a generation that results in uniformity. Originally, I thought that this might be some sort of exception to JS's prescribed creation procedures, but then I realized it is exactly in line with the preceeding text; Each scale [...] becomes a generator of its family. Of course! That is the resultant sound of a skeleton whole-tone scale. The 'family' of those sounds do not contain any half steps. Just great stuff!
@Austin Poorbaugh, This one I had to read carefully in order to understand its meaning. In case all interval-units are equal and greater than 1 (the simplest example indeed being the whole-tone scale, 2 semitones), the permutation operation is meaningless as it will not generate a different interval-unit ordering. And therefore the evolution of pitch-scale generations fails. The case of all intervals in the scale being 1 (semitones, chromatic scale) is trivial, since we already start from uniformity. But what about 2 odd intervals? Take the example {5,3}; does that not lead to uniformity after 3 generations? Where is my misunderstanding? A great initiative to implement these concepts in OpenMusic; I have no experience in that environment. Is it hard to do?
@@FransAbsil Your phrasing of it is a much better way to describe all cases of generation and achieving uniformity. The example of {5,3} does indeed create uniformity because the interval between 5 and 3 is two semitones. Thank you for providing a much better way to conceptualize the procedure. You haven't misunderstood at all, in fact, you clarified my own misunderstanding. :) Regarding OpenMusic, it has been both a joy and a source of challenge and difficulty to learn the software. It is very capable and I have yet to find something that it cannot do. What I find so neat is how readily musical concepts and ideas can be reduced down to lists. (OpenMusic uses the LISP language) My study of set theory in University really helped to jumpstart how to work with musical concepts as lists and manipulate them. It has built-in objects for creating interval/duration lists from a given list. This is of great help when working with generated interference patterns or resultant scales. There are also objects that can create audio / midi files from lists which let you very easily realize your findings and creations. My latest task has been creating a 'toolbox' of sorts that will all for a rhythm, set, etc to be input and will output the resultants from a number of the Schillinger techniques to MIDI for further processing in a DAW or Notation Software. I'm going to make a few tutorials for OM to help others see just how useful (and potentially) easy it can be to use it as a compositional tool.
@Christopher Heckman My accidents don't make me happy at all. Where covering up accidental mistakes in a 2D painting seems to work in the gifted hands of Bob Ross, in the music audio-time domain it's a lot trickier. Occasionally, in both fields these turn out serendipity. Thanks for the quote; makes the heartbeat rate and blood pressure return to healthier levels ;-))
Interestingly enough, while working on an implementation of this in OpenMusic, I realized that if the input set does not contain at least one even and one odd interval (number of half steps), there will never be a generation that results in uniformity. Originally, I thought that this might be some sort of exception to JS's prescribed creation procedures, but then I realized it is exactly in line with the preceeding text;
Each scale [...] becomes a generator of its family.
Of course! That is the resultant sound of a skeleton whole-tone scale. The 'family' of those sounds do not contain any half steps. Just great stuff!
@Austin Poorbaugh, This one I had to read carefully in order to understand its meaning. In case all interval-units are equal and greater than 1 (the simplest example indeed being the whole-tone scale, 2 semitones), the permutation operation is meaningless as it will not generate a different interval-unit ordering. And therefore the evolution of pitch-scale generations fails. The case of all intervals in the scale being 1 (semitones, chromatic scale) is trivial, since we already start from uniformity. But what about 2 odd intervals? Take the example {5,3}; does that not lead to uniformity after 3 generations? Where is my misunderstanding? A great initiative to implement these concepts in OpenMusic; I have no experience in that environment. Is it hard to do?
@@FransAbsil Your phrasing of it is a much better way to describe all cases of generation and achieving uniformity. The example of {5,3} does indeed create uniformity because the interval between 5 and 3 is two semitones. Thank you for providing a much better way to conceptualize the procedure. You haven't misunderstood at all, in fact, you clarified my own misunderstanding. :)
Regarding OpenMusic, it has been both a joy and a source of challenge and difficulty to learn the software. It is very capable and I have yet to find something that it cannot do. What I find so neat is how readily musical concepts and ideas can be reduced down to lists. (OpenMusic uses the LISP language) My study of set theory in University really helped to jumpstart how to work with musical concepts as lists and manipulate them.
It has built-in objects for creating interval/duration lists from a given list. This is of great help when working with generated interference patterns or resultant scales. There are also objects that can create audio / midi files from lists which let you very easily realize your findings and creations. My latest task has been creating a 'toolbox' of sorts that will all for a rhythm, set, etc to be input and will output the resultants from a number of the Schillinger techniques to MIDI for further processing in a DAW or Notation Software.
I'm going to make a few tutorials for OM to help others see just how useful (and potentially) easy it can be to use it as a compositional tool.
19:18: "We don't 'make mistakes'; we 'have happy accidents'." -- Bob Ross
@Christopher Heckman My accidents don't make me happy at all. Where covering up accidental mistakes in a 2D painting seems to work in the gifted hands of Bob Ross, in the music audio-time domain it's a lot trickier. Occasionally, in both fields these turn out serendipity. Thanks for the quote; makes the heartbeat rate and blood pressure return to healthier levels ;-))