Iain Cameron's Diary
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2003-11-07 - 11:41 a.m.

I will certainly miss looking at Andrew K�s diaries. Mark tells me that he may be back at some point. I hope so.

One of my colleagues was telling me about a course that he had been on this week which involves coaching yourself � building up your will and resolve. Making weakness of will less probable. I was intrigued by the human technology of such a venture � or even it�s prepositional structure � meta desire. I have decided that I will go on a programme to make myself more likely to go through with programmes.

Last night I went to see Paul�s course and jolly interesting they were too. I met someone from Michigan which always cheers me up. The training centre, just outside of Leamington was extremely smart.

A lot of research material turned up today � about 4 or 5 really interesting studies. One was sent, another was a reference within the first and another three were in a monthly newsletter. I had forgotten that the end of October copy had just appeared and I chanced into it.

I am finding my way into doing microtonal chord sequences using Scala. Its all done on integers in real time � so you can build a six note chord (say) using the natural harmonic sequence. The flexibility comes in the way that the first integer relates to the rest. For example, a root tone is specified in the software � for ease of calculation lets say that this is a middle C. If that tone is set as �1� and the next tone as �3� then the second tone is the third harmonic � the G an octave and a half above the middle C. But suppose the first tone is set as �57� and the second as �32� then the second tone is a D nearly an octave below middle C while �38�gives the F above that. Depending on the MIDI tone selected for the chord, then there is an opportunity for harmonic reinforcements to take place � the classic Theatre of Eternal Music effect.

The �grand theory� on which all of this is based is the attempt to get to pure whole number frequency ratios and away from infinite decimals. In fact both of these are theoretical extremes � and you can never be sure that you have hit either in reality. I was reading somewhere that physicists have debated whether infinite decimals can exist in practice. The quantum hypothesis means that sooner or later the world goes chunky.

With CZ101 I can control intervals but not scales. But if I use tones which are a fourth of fifth apart then there isn�t much difference between the well-tempered interval and the Pythagorean one. Just today I realised that by using the minor third inverval based on 19 I could make a six note chord which interested me a lot about a year ago. The chord is a minor 11th � a G major triad on an A minor triad � this is a set of three minor thirds (ac), (bd) and (eg). I started to mess with a serial approach to this chord � switching to the identical six note chord which completes the series, essentially an Ebm11. With each chord I am doing a slow modulation away from a pure sine tone to some other more complex wave form. I need to render these materials into a piece. In one sense this is the hardest step, in another it is the easiest.

There �s a good piece by Tom Johnson wrote around 23 years ago in this area. He observes that before the invention of the tape loop and the sine generator, pure aural stability wasn�t achievable and couldn�t be experienced. The next step from there is recursion where the output is looped back to the input and that potentially leads to scale indifferent self-similarity � not always but within a certain limited area of feedback � like the classic visual introduction to Dr Who. TJ makes a link across from there to logic and certain gaps in how far it can be applied.

Perhaps writing this article was the seed which led TJ down a path of self similar patterning within musical forms.

In the previous article, TJ reports on one of his first encounters with the Zorn ensemble at the Kitchen. He reflects on the difference between performance pieces where the originator controls all the parameters and the Zorn approach where he exerts control at a higher level - signalling to start and stop particular groups/phases. Perhaps this was a major innovation - the start of a new variation in musical practice, pulling together different ideas from the previous three decades.

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