Southeast Asian/Gamelan Music

Indian, Persian and Southeast Asian music has a cyclic rhythmic concept and so the circular representation of it is the most appropriate. This is also the way they view time with reincarnation and past-lives etc. so the circular representation is a natural.

If we look at the rhythmic cycle in gamelan music on a circular grid, it often has two superimposed triangles representing 6 rhyhmic events divided into two kinds played in duple meter. They do not create polyrhythmic tuplets so are not symmetrical triangles. But the way the two overlap produces a symmetrical star of David/Jewish star, though usually the downbeat is not on the axis of symmetry.

Microtones:

Indonesian Gamelan has an octave divided into ten equal parts for the Slendro scale. Ten being a number of completion in Chinese theory which was carried to South-East Asia. Thai music is divided into seven equal parts where two are left out, usually the 4th and 6th so that there isn't just a scale of all equal intervals like the whole tone. This creates a pentatonic scale (5 notes). The notes that are left out are sometimes used as ornaments and passing tones. Burma leaves those degrees out too and also makes another scale in seven equal but leaves out the third and seventh instead.

Healing Music, Gamelan and Microtones:

The binaural beats of gamelan, created by the 2 identical instrument sets which are tuned about a 1/4 step apart, synchronizes with alpha or theta brainwave patterns depending on the exact distance of the interval. Gamelan musicians even say that their intent is to make the audience half-awake/half-asleep. I thought a 12-string type guitar retuned could also reproduce the shimmering quality of gamelan. The scraper used in Cuban music can also scrape out brain wave tuplets in 7, 9, 11, 13 or whatever.

World Music Tunings and Western Compatibility

Western Compatibility:

The microtonal inflections used in Persian and Indian music aren't necessarily incompatible with western harmony. Right now, the case is that many musicians in Persia improvise in 24 or 48 equal on microtone capable instruments over 12 equal harmonies played on western instruments like the guitar and piano.

Expanded Tonal Palette:

Some people who are more heavily involved in the modern avant-garde microtonal movement are saying that 24 and 48 equal just highlight the limitations of 12 equal and many are calling for an expanded palette such as that based on 31 equal which more or less includes the usually preferred “just” intonations of western and Persian scales without overburdening the performer or composer with divisions that are too large and unweildy like 104 divisions of the octave for example! However, instruments with moveable frets, no frets, sliding mechanisms or easily inflected wind instruments like bassoon have many advantages in that they're not locked into anything really and can be asked to play whatever the composer wants or made to actualize whatever the player wants.

Minor keys and chords handle dissonances well, so scale options like Afshari/Esfahan which go C D Eb F G A1/2b Bb will easily work in C aeolian or C dorian with careful attention to the chords whose fifths and roots have the sixth "A" in them

It's other mode starting on the Bb results in a dominant scale that has a 1/2 tone flat 7th. The dominant chord handles dissonances better than anything, even allowing for sharp and flat fifths so this is very doable with consciousness given to chords that have the b7th as their root or fifth.

Suznak C D E1/2b F G Ab B is basically a "harmonic" minor scale with a slightly raised minor third. This is probably a very useful scale over classical western harmonies in a non-modal minor "key" while watching out for the b3rd in the chords.

Rast is basically the same scale as Afshari except it also has a 1/2 flat second. Not really a problem in a minor key. Attention being payed to the chords as stated previously.

Another scale is Hijaz which is the same as the dominant mode of Afshari except with an added nonmicrotonally flat second.

A possibility allowing for "weird" scales is to limit the accompaniment to the notes from the scale that are not microtonal. This would not be a chordal accompaniment per se but provide harmonious elements. This is an aspect of the kind of modified harmonic theory we are in need of today.

The dominant scale of Afshari that goes C D E F G A B1/2b would work well over an accompaniment built on the Chinese form of the pentatonic scale C D F G A since it doesn't have any kind of "B", microtonal or otherwise.

We could also adopt the Chinese concept of using notes outside of the pentatonic scale, which occur in the melody, as passing tones or neighbor tones.

The regular form of Afshari that goes C D Eb F G A1/2b Bb would work well over the more American form of the pentatonic scale C Eb F G Bb.

Hijaz would work over a pentatonic made of C E F G Bb, Suznak over C D F G Ab or C D F G B, Afshari/ Esfahan would also work over C D F G B among others.

There is an important connection between timbre and tuning. An instrument that has the prominent overtones that correspond to the microtonally flat intervals of a "weird" tuning doesn't sound particularly out of tune anymore. This has important implications for composers, synthesists and instrument builders. For practicality, tunings up to 41 equal divisions of the octave are about as many divisions that can be made, heard and played reasonably.

It has been suggested that tactile frets be added to the fingerboards of violins and cellos so performers unfamiliar with the tunings could approximate them on western style instruments. Another suggestion is to have a wavy fingerboard that will approximate different tunings by high and low crests on the fingerboard.

Some "weird" tunings are more consonant than others by western standards. The less consonant ones can be made more consonant by choosing the correct instrumental timbre to play it. The sitar has the jiwari bridge that creates the buzzing which brings out more prominently many of the upper partials. I suspect this allows them to play 1/8 or 1/2 flat intervals which don't sound so weird to us in that context. Maybe a classical flute might be particularly inappropriate for unconventional tunings because of its almost pure sine wave.

Lately I've been thinking about why the gamelans have instrument pairs tuned about a 1/4 step apart and how the Setar is tuned to C and C1/4 sharp.

In Persian music, it's often the case that the scales have tones which are only 1/4 flat instead of real quarter tones/1/2 flat intervals except in Turkey. This does not produce the visual symmetry as I said before. They must be sacrificing the perfect visual symmetry because some other element of the music is affecting it or is more important. I was pondering this when I came to the insight that if there is a B1/2 #, its tone might easily be confused with C or C1/2b. The same with F1/2b and E or E1/2 sharp. Diatonic scales probably favor less flattedness or sharpedness to maintain the distinctions between notes. Gamelan music is pentatonic without half-steps so the paired notes can be seriously sharp or flat even when played simultaneously without losing their identity to another scale degree.

Another related phenomenon is the binaural beats of gamelan and Persian music. Why do two systems of music in non-western tunings use simultaneously sounding 1/4 steps? Is there a connection to the tuning? Probably.

African Music

African Music:



The African bell pattern.

The diatonic major scale can be assigned a rhythm to each scale degree so that the interval between C-D, for example, is related to a quarter note. The interval between E-F relates to an eighth note since there is only a half-step between them. The result of the entire scale related to in this way is the bell pattern found all over Africa in either its "Ionian, Lydian or Mixolydian rhythmic mode" form.

African rhythms are frequently interlocking and not conceived of having a downbeat or being grouped into measures. Like the music of India and much other music from around the world, the parts are additive such as 3+3+2 if we're in an 8 or16 beat cycle in a western conceived measure of 4/4. Western music seems to favor dividing the measure exactly in half. African, Indian, and Persian music rarely does this. African music has 3 basic kinds.. The first is a 12 beat rhythmic cycle in which in a western conceived measure would generally be in 12/8, which is reserved for funerals and royalty. A 16 beat rhythmic cycle in 4/4 is for light music. The last kind is a combination for ritual and worship where either triplets are occasionally superimposed over 4 16ths in 4/4 or 4 16th notes are occasionally superimposed over groups of 3 eighth notes in 12/8. Sometimes the beginnings and/or endings of triplets tie over into the next beat.

Interlocking African Rhythms:

To create an interlocking rhythm with what might be called the Ionian rhythmic mode, we can use the dorian rhythmic mode or the mixolydian mode played underneath it, either started an eighth note late in 12/8. Either of these will fill up all the holes in the Ionian rhythmic mode.

Tension/Stress/Anxiety and Healing Music:

The bell rhythmic pattern found all over Africa that is based on the C Major scales Ionian, Lydian or Mixolydian modes has “on the beat” events on at least the first three quarter notes in 12/8. The second half of the measure has most events that occur off the beats. This produces a "masculine" on the beat first part and a "feminine" syncopated second part.

Since there are 7 notes in a major scale, a rhythm based on it can never be divided exactly in half. One side either has 4 and the other has 3 events or visa versa. This may be where the preference for asymmetrical rhythms comes from around the world. This is possibly why the clave in Salsa music has two parts. One is on the beat, the other is syncopated. One has three events and the other has two.

The alternation of them produces the tension relaxation that we're used to as westerners. However, we need to be careful because the increase of tension so valued by westerners often has the result of producing anxiety in the listener. Not a goal of healing music but a little "interest" is good especially in dance music. African melodic cells would repeat ad nauseum except for the fact that they never play them the exact same way twice. I suspect this reduces the anxiety while simultaneously relieves the potential boredom.

Voudou Drumming:

Bata drums from Haiti (think voudou), use THREE drums/instruments to create the interlocking rhythm. I think the reason why so many people like interlocking rhythms such as Africa, Bali etc...is because they create a smooth rhythmic surface. The same things we find beautiful in art and in people we also like in music. We all love a symmetrical face with smooth clear skin.

In the Bata drumming of Haiti there are seven standard rhythms Bayuba, Yakota Ebipkumi, Biobayare, Idilantilanti, Bembe and Yanvalou. Each one is addressed to the Gods or a certain God and is in either a 6 or 12 beat rhythmic cycle and intended to induce trance. But unlike other trance traditions where the shaman travels to the spirit world, in Haiti the Gods are thought to descend and are said to "ride" worshipers. As Andy Narell’s lyrics say, “dress up in the beat and wait for the spirits to move.” When a person is posessed, people ask them questions about money, love and important information. The usualy stuff.

African Melody:

Amadinda xylophone music of Uganda
Africa has a scale in 5-tone equal that uses interlocking parts similar to gamelan music. So, western music is in 12 tone equal, gamelan music is in 10 tone equal, Thai is in 7 tone equal, Ugandan music is in 5 tone equal. I wonder if there are any cultures that use 11 or 9 tone equal. Maybe not.

Kora tuning:

The double harp from Africa known as the kora has a tuning in the more traditional inland regions having notes closer to the ones in 5 tone equal. These regions were less influenced by westerners and more influenced by Persian people.

Persian Music

Persian Rhythm:

The common rhythms from Persia are Maqsum, which they say is the mother of all the others, Ciftitelli, Andalus, Basmudi, , Baladi, Sayyidii, Sombati, Waaltida, Tsamko, Jaark and Darj. Maqams vary the rhythm of the original melody and improvise new ones.

Persian Melody:

Ragas often have two notes that are emphasized, usually a fifth apart, each appearing in a separate tetrachord. Both Persian and Indian music may have changing tones like the two versions of the melodic minor scale but Indian music never modulates. In Persian music a new tetrachord is substituted for the upper tetrachord and a new scale is constructed. Persian music also has a ground/ drone but it is allowed to modulate.

Persian music has a stop note and a central note that moves through various modulations. It has very infrequent skips and leaps are filled with ornaments. Leaps always occur over a consonant interval and usually at the ends of phrases before going to the next one. Persian music was never just used in the courts. Yes, the courts used the same music as the popular music of the common people.

In Persian music, it's often the case that the scales have tones which are only 1/4 flat instead of real quarter tones/1/2 flat intervals except in Turkey. This does not produce the visual symmetry as I said before. They must be sacrificing the perfect visual symmetry because some other element of the music is affecting it or is more important. I was pondering this when I came to the insight that if there is a B1/2 #, its tone might easily be confused with C or C1/2b. The same with F1/2b and E or E1/2 sharp. Diatonic scales probably favor less flattedness or sharpedness to maintain the distinctions between notes.