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Post by theevan on Feb 9, 2024 10:31:17 GMT -5
Ran across this, a composition by luthier Kenny Hill (the music was on the stand when we stopped by his shop in Ben Lomond) played on a just-tempered (squiggly frets) guitar built by Kenny.
Beautifully played by j.
Our ears are so accustomed to the compromises/errors in equal temperament, just temperament can sound jangly.
I wish I had known j was in Santa Cruz when we were there. Dang!
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Post by Marshall on Feb 9, 2024 12:35:21 GMT -5
Dang ! That better not be gray hair in his temples !  I remember visiting J as a freshman at Belmont. Seems like yesterday. |
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Post by Russell Letson on Feb 9, 2024 13:30:50 GMT -5
Can't decide whether that guitar's timbre is the result of the just tempering or some other design factor, but it sounds quite harp-like--or, in the "Blindness" movement, like a less-boingy guzheng. Or maybe like a baroque guitar. Very unlike, say, my Marin, which has a rather fat, growly voice.
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Post by Cosmic Wonder on Feb 9, 2024 13:35:35 GMT -5
I do not like the tone of the guitar. But J’s playing and arrangement are superb.
Mike
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Post by theevan on Feb 9, 2024 15:33:25 GMT -5
Can't decide whether that guitar's timbre is the result of the just tempering or some other design factor, but it sounds quite harp-like--or, in the "Blindness" movement, like a less-boingy guzheng. Or maybe like a baroque guitar. Very unlike, say, my Marin, which has a rather fat, growly voice. I'm not sure either. I played Kenny Hill's personal guitar, trying out some of the first page of this composition, and it had the deepest, richest tone imaginable. But for it to sound sonorous, you have to remain within the mode it's tuned for. Outside of that, it sounds jangly. I noticed the same thing with Celil Refik Kaya playing microtonal Turkish music. |
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Post by dradtke on Feb 9, 2024 16:07:34 GMT -5
It seems like a capo would mess up the just tuning. Or just mess up the tuning. Or something like that.
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Post by Cornflake on Feb 9, 2024 17:24:54 GMT -5
Beautiful stuff.
I remember getting together with Giacomo and Paula when I was in his area for a visit. They were terrific and I wish he were still around here.
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Post by j on Feb 24, 2024 17:05:02 GMT -5
Dang ! That better not be gray hair in his temples ! I remember visiting J as a freshman at Belmont. Seems like yesterday. Given that it was 21 years (and two kids) ago…you better believe there’s some grey on those temples! Thanks for the nice words everyone, and sorry to have missed you Evan! I’m up in the city but teach in Santa Cruz a couple times a week. I hope you all are doing fine! I’m not much for forums/social media these days but remember everyone fondly. You were a major support group for me back then 😘 |
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Dub
Administrator
I'm gettin' so the past is the only thing I can remember.
Posts: 19,863 
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Post by Dub on Feb 24, 2024 17:10:00 GMT -5
Dang ! That better not be gray hair in his temples ! I remember visiting J as a freshman at Belmont. Seems like yesterday. Given that it was 21 years (and two kids) ago…you better believe there’s some grey on those temples! Thanks for the nice words everyone, and sorry to have missed you Evan! I’m up in the city but teach in Santa Cruz a couple times a week. I hope you all are doing fine! I’m not much for forums/social media these days but remember everyone fondly. You were a major support group for me back then 😘 J, it’s so great to hear from you. Thanks. |
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Post by theevan on Feb 24, 2024 17:45:41 GMT -5
Howdy, Giacomo!!!
Hope I didn't make too much of a fool of myself with my comments on just intonation.
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Post by j on Feb 24, 2024 20:02:06 GMT -5
Howdy, Giacomo!!! Hope I didn't make too much of a fool of myself with my comments on just intonation. never! the main thing is that these "true-tempered" fingerboards are going for is irregular or "optimal" temperament, rather than equal. It's not really getting that much closer to just intonation, but it makes some of triads closer to the starting pitch a bit "sweeter" than 100% equal tempered ones (which are all equally sharp for the major third, but in a way we're largely accustomed to at this point). You still get functioning/usable triads in all twelve keys, unlike in meantone and other historical tunings that had "wolf" or out intervals in one or two triads (but three or four MUCH sweeter triads near the starting pitch). Honestly I'm not a huge fan, I'd rather go just or fretless at that point, and the company that makes them sort of obfuscates what they're doing in their lingo. I think the changes in timbre have more to do with the capo placement (with the uncapoed/open E string acting like a "drop C" tuning), plus maybe the build of the guitar (Nomex double top IIRC), plus Kenny's own writing with lots of open string/cascadiong sort of passages. |
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Post by james on Feb 24, 2024 21:42:34 GMT -5
You beat me to it j.  |
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