Quote:
Originally Posted by Cy_Miles  I would understand breaking an octave into 24 steps so you deal with quarter tones.
Why did you choose 31? Is there a precident? Was there mathmatical logic, or did you just pull 31 out of thin air and want to know what it sounds like?
Are the certain intervals or harmonys that you find interesting?
Can you play with somebody who is playing a 'conventional' instrument? Can you play along with a 'conventiona' tune? Or do you need to play with other 31-et instruments?
And just what does ET stand for. I just figured out what your are talking about by context. |
yes ET means equal temperament. similar to how 12et is based on
the 12th-root-of-2:1, 31et is based on the 31st-root-of-2:1. you can do the same with any number of divisions, it will always produce steps (cent-wise) of equal size.
in short, 31et gives you near-perfect 5/4 (major third) and 7/4 (harmonic seventh), while maintaining a usable fifth. it also approximates neutral seconds and thirds (found in some middle eastern music). the most interesting thing personally is that there are many 'alternate' notes within an interval. there's a note approximating 7/6 and one approximating 6/5 (both minor thirds), so there's a lot of nuance in terms of what harmony you choose.
it would not work to play with fixed 12et instruments like guitar and piano. it
has been shown to be possible to play with the violin-family and woodwinds.
it would also be possible to 'convert' an existing piece to 31et, but it would take a lot of work. 31et can reproduce meantone almost exactly, so it would be feasible to play some baroque music in it's intended tuning.
