[Shaku] RE: Dokyoku pitches

From: Joel Taylor (joel.g.taylor@comcast.net)
Date: Mon Oct 03 2005 - 22:02:28 PDT


Justin this is very interesting. I wonder how "consistent" this -25 cents on
the meri pitches is....How are you doing your measurements? From what I've
been able to gather by just listening to recordings, and by talking to the
few teachers I've taken lessons with, the meri pitches are always flat by
some amount, but that amount varies to some degree according to player and
piece. I think sometimes tsu no meri is more than 25c flat...
But...*usually* (but not always) I think I hear a good Perfect 5th between
tsu no meri and ri no meri and a good P4th between tsu no meri and U.
Another thing to think about is the difference between Ro dai meri and Ri
vis a vis pitch.... Sometimes it seems to me that Ro dai meri is being
played quite flat by some of the master players.

As though Ro dai meri was 8/7 or 233 cents below Ro...what I call the
foghorn Just Major 2nd...instead of 9/8...

However,...I don't really think there is any reason to suspect either a
precise quarter tone or any particular just intonation scheme in honkyoku,
any more than in gamelan tunings....
but please post more of your observations re this...it's an important
subject.

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