Xref: utzoo comp.sys.amiga:1454 comp.sys.mac:1014 comp.sys.atari.st:6423 rec.music.makers:1107 rec.music.synth:1998 rec.music.classical:1861 Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!rutgers!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!uvaarpa!mcnc!ece-csc!ncrcae!ncr-sd!crash!pnet01!haitex From: haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac,comp.sys.atari.st,rec.music.makers,rec.music.synth,rec.music.classical Subject: Re: Sonic Holography. Message-ID: <2151@crash.cts.com> Date: 16 Dec 87 10:58:57 GMT Sender: news@crash.cts.com Organization: People-Net [pnet01], El Cajon, CA Lines: 36 As I remember, the original question asked for an endlessly rising tone. These various plays on cyclic nature of the western scale achieve a similar effect, but are not quite what was asked for. Western music is based upon a 12 tone system. These tones are sub- divided into sets of 7 notes which form scales (usually 7 notes). These subsets form alternative contours. When progressing through the keys rather than moving in one tone steps, the 5th member of a given scale forms the next most obvious key. By doing so the scale being changed to will contain only one note not found in its predicessor, which ex- plains why it is the next obvious key. This is layed out clearly for the ear in J.S. Bach's studies of the well tempered scale. Taking this into account, it should be possible to derive any number of always rising progressions. Of course doing so in an artfull manner requires skill, insight, and talent. What I find fasinating about Bach's work is the precise control of multiple modes of the keys. Interestingly enough, the well tempered scale is not true to the ear. IE: if I tune my guitar by ear to a given major scale, it will sound fine in that scale, and its cousins, but degrades with distance from the original root. Clearly the well tempered clavier (spelling?) is full of consistent distortions to make the circle of 5ths fit. At least I think this is so. Any knowlegable theory experts care to enlighten me? Thanks, Wade. UUCP: {cbosgd, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!haitex ARPA: crash!pnet01!haitex@nosc.mil INET: haitex@pnet01.CTS.COM