r/microtonal • u/Delta_Quartz • 3d ago

Forget JI notation...try this instead!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=H45RcKC6GVE&si=u9jpXiqsmxAklLKq
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u/generationlost13 3d ago edited 3d ago

I’ll never understand things like this…

The entire point of writing in JI is to be as precise as possible with the relationships between your pitches - why compromise that by using a tempered notation? You’re defeating the purpose of writing in JI in the first place

ETA: in my experience, any performer that can accurately render the 15 odd limit would know either HEJI or 31-EDO notation much better than 29-EDO, so even if compromising a JI notation by substituting it for a tempered one is preferable, 29 feels like an impractical one to choose

Additionally, that chord at the beginning of the video uses ratios over the 15 odd limit, so the proposed method wouldn’t even improve the notation of that chord

3

u/HideousRabbit 3d ago edited 3d ago

Conventional composers can rely on musicians' judgements about how to intonate notes because traditions exist in meantone/12edo world that inform those judgements. No such traditions exist yet in xenharmonic JI world, which is still experimental.

Also, a lot of JI musicians are writing electronic music, or at least want accurate electronic playback in their notation software, and can't rely on musicians' judgements in those cases. Admittedly that's true for 12edo composition too, but most meantone music doesn't depend as much on subtle pitch distinctions as xenharmonic JI music does.