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Old 11th March 2016, 08:52 PM   #281
calebprime
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Originally Posted by calebprime View Post
Oh, I forgot.

In my encounter with the lady.

It should have been obvious.

She asks what my name is.

"Caleb"

"That's a biblical name".

"But I'm not religious".

And I see her disappointment.

She's drowning, from the benzos, and she's reaching out to her religion to save her. That's why she wanted me to compose that Ave Maria, or whatever it was.

I can wave from a few feet away, but I can't really help her, except by being decent.


Let's make this explicit:



Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.

Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.

Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.



Waaahht?!?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpyLX36gous

Last edited by calebprime; 11th March 2016 at 08:54 PM.
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Old 11th March 2016, 09:10 PM   #282
calebprime
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As luck would have it, my wife needs the car and will be out of town Friday and most of Saturday.

So it looks like we'll have to postpone.

I'll figure out something to do.

It would be good for you to meet with xxxxxx. *He can also vouch for me -- that I'm as eccentric as I sound, but I do have a wife and kid who I love, I'm a composer, etc. He's been to my house a couple of times.

Was it xxxx who also posted about Nurembega Reservoir and park area?

I should ask her about law enforcement there. *The area is VERY heavily posted. *They really don't want people in there. *By the odd logic of our search, that makes it interesting.

But maybe there are huge signs and no budget to send police there.

Prospect Park is, let's see, just east of 128, north of 117 and Waltham. *The buildings are labelled W1 and W2, and they are abandoned Polaroid or power company buildings.

Do a Google Maps with the location being something like 117 and 128, or maybe Prospect Park, Waltham, Ma.


I searched the ground floors, partly because it scared me to be in there alone, and partly because if someone were stashing a body, they'd do it where they don't have to lift 200 pounds up a flight of stairs.

But it's bugging me that I only looked at 1/3 of each building.

Then, as you go north and east, there's the old Polaroid main building which is starting to be renovated. *So workers are all over it. *We don't need to go in there.

There's the park itself, and then whatever we can see going north parallel to 128 (east side as we go north.) *There's some kind of active quarry industry, then above that, Prospect Park. *There's enough people having cookouts that we don't have to look right on the trails, but it's big enough that someone could be hidden off the trails.

I'm not great at "orienteering" as my wife calls it. *If we do Prospect Park, we'd need to bring the equivalent of breadcrumbs or Reeses pieces, so we can remember what trails we were on. *I'm thinking of cutting up some colored pieces of paper to tape to trees which we take down later, or something.

But that one will take half a day, even for five people.

If you and I were to do this, bring your cell (I use my son's) and a flashlight, and plenty of water.

=========================================


Personal reconnaissance and close visual surveillance of xx xxxx mailbox* reveals that the address is xx, and the owner's name is xxxx. *However, no sign of forced entry. *Very unlikely.

With my subtle interrogation techniques** -- designed to elicit the maximum information from any suspect, no matter how recalcitrant -- I have established that the mysterious "man in the wheelchair" in front of the liquor store is still, as they say, "around".

"Neil the lizard" might simply be a T worker -- I saw another worker who resembled him. *Still, I have my doubts.

More vital intelligence as it develops.

*Yes, we Inspectors have unique powers of observation.

**I asked.
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Old 11th March 2016, 10:58 PM   #283
calebprime
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Is that yo pit?

Young hooligans observed on perimeter of Brookline High. 5 or 6. Laughing, possibly enjoying themselves.

Man with pit on leash approaches.

Gets within 2 feet.

Dog goes nuts, lunges, barks in face of y. h.

There is some yelling and screaming. But the hooligans don't seem to understand the gravity of their brush with violence.

I kindly suggest to the kind man with the overly sensitive pit-bull:

"You might not want to let your dog get so close to people."

And he: Go **** yourself.

And I: What?

He, again: Go **** yourself.

Incident recounted to my son and his posse, on the street, later. At least Edward wanted to hear it. But the ones who deciphered the riddle, who got the right answer? Two passing strangers.
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Old 11th March 2016, 11:02 PM   #284
calebprime
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I can breathe a little easier.

I'm not the solution to anyone's life problems, except maybe my immediate family.

Boundaries established, sternly, but I hope, fairly.

I wish you the best, and I'll bring you some quiche now and then if I see you around.

We've agreed: No calling. No wandering around in my neighborhood.

And I won't be providing any recommendations.
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Old 11th March 2016, 11:09 PM   #285
calebprime
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The Mystery of the Possibly Sinister T Vehicles Resolved

Yeah, probably that guy was undercover.

But the T vehicles, also vehicles ending in 727?

Just workers slacking off on the government dime. "Having Lunch."

I'm sort of an idiot.

But my wife has good common sense.
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Old 12th March 2016, 05:18 AM   #286
calebprime
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Good Luck with Your Career!

One of the structural tensions in music schools is between the administrative people and the artists. It really takes all kinds. With only artists, the school would fall apart.

A student named Sandy once wrote an essay about NEC that I read with pleasure. He said NEC was held together with chewing-gum. He got that right.

This reminds me of my only trip to London. My wife and kid were going, and we had the opportunity to stay at somebody's place in Kensington -- which, I take it, is considered one of the most "posh" locations.

It was pretty nice, but no piano. Since I'm not Shostakovich -- or anyone else with absolute pitch -- I like to have a piano to try things out on. This amateurish method of checking things on piano worked for such patzers as Stravinsky. Somehow he muddled along and made some pretty good pieces.

So, what to do about the piano. I called up the Royal College of Music in London, and after some intense bargaining, we agreed that I would throw a wad of incomprehensible "pound" notes on the table, and -- in return -- they would provide me with a practice room.

I'm not used to Royalty, but I was comforted by the vibes at the College. It seems that Conservatories are pretty much the same anywhere, based on my two data points.

Down in the basement, there was the typical room with an upright piano, and down the hall, there was someone practicing trombone.

As I was leaving, the nice provost lady who had happily taken my money said, cheerfully: "Good luck with your career!"

I hadn't realized my career was on the line, but she seemed nice.

This is the kind of thing you say to a musician when you don't have a clue, or you're just being polite enough.

It's only when you should know better, when you should know something about that musician's project, that a cheerful sendoff like "Good luck with your career!" doesn't cut it.

Something like two-thirds of conservatory graduates never have a career at all.

For a lot of us, it's not about career, no matter how far we've gotten.

So, faced with a musician who you can talk to -- a sentient being -- maybe hold off on the advice to publish, or the congratulations about some success in publication, or some assumption that they are really in it for the career success.

Someone who should have known better once interrogated me, and wondered whether I thought I was Jackson Pollock. That is, a hopelessly idealistic idiot savant, maybe, or a wild-man drunkard, who you half-hope might pee in the flowerpot. Sure, she was trying to save me from myself. You see, I didn't know better. There was money to be made! Careers to forge!
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Old 12th March 2016, 05:57 AM   #287
calebprime
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Sebum -- Franco and the lady with the dog

A few years ago, another weedless spring. Trying to walk off the ixy-waxies, I was heading down Beacon, toward Cleveland Circle.

In front of MaryAnn's bar, there was a whole crowd of people. Two people in particular were holding up pictures of Franco Garcia -- his mother and father. They looked to me sort of like Peruvian Indians, but mothers and fathers are pretty much the same everywhere: frantic when their kid goes missing.

It seemed I had to do something.

I just immediately fell into a conversation with a guy named Will, because I'd noticed a few things about the posters and what Franco was wearing.

Little did I know that I was going to be involved with people who were...not-skeptics.

It seemed that maybe he wasn't in the reservoir, because the divers had already searched two or three times.

A coordinated effort seemed necessary.

I bought Will a burger, and, with some excitement he said: "This is going to blow your mind."

He took out a map, which traced a line from MaryAnn's bar past BC, down Comm. Ave, all the way out to Waltham, where Franco worked at the CVS.

Then the line stopped.

A lady with a dog had come forward, claiming a lot of success with tracking missing people. Her success was remarkable, in fact. She'd found every one.

Sure, it had rained, and the trail was already maybe three days cold by the time Rover had dragged Will and her all the way to Waltham.

But the dog seemed to know something that only a few people knew about Franco: That he always walked on the left side of the street, facing traffic, which seemed prudent.

The team needed their "shadow man" -- me -- to go to all the places that seemed possible. Also, maybe some light surveillance on some locations in Waltham. Some tips had been received about a strange lady dragging someone who was surely Franco into a house.

I looked up the limits of a dog's olfactory talents, and they are unbelievable. They far exceed, still, the best machinery.

A dog can track your sebum, that oily stuff your skin is made of, that falls to the ground. To a dog, it was said, this sebum is like a trail of bright feathers, a gleamin' in the gloaming.

Off I went to many a Hardy Boys adventure in Waltham.

And, of course, the lady with the dog was merely crazy or seeking attention.

Franco was in the reservoir.

The water level was dropping, and eventually Franco's body rose to the surface.


----------

As part of my service as "shadow man" it was necessary for me to purchase the least expensive speakers available at Goodwin's High End Audio.

In all seriousness, though, I can clearly associate a very pleasant feeling of physical exertion and holiday atmosphere with the song Coyote, by Joni Mitchell, because I heard it there again. That Proust thang.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...high+end+audio

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 06:52 AM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 06:37 AM   #288
calebprime
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Sebum2 -- Dr. Fish, Benzos, Charm School, Arthur

My mother is sort of my hero right now. One thing I really like about her is her resilience. She's at her absolute best when the **** hits the fan.

Not much on small talk. A little ponderous. But when my disturbed sister was having a tantrum because she didn't like her Christmas presents (at age, I dunno, 35?) Mom soothed her, talked her down. I couldn't have done that.

Having a disturbed daughter and a gay husband took its toll. She went to a shrink in Lewistown called Dr. Fish*, an oily little man of sturdy Pennsylvania stock. Not dumb, but used to being the only smart person in the room. More opinionated than wise.

For her anxiety, of course, the benzos. Different kinds, but she was underwater for 15 years, and only surfaced when she tapered off. Oddly, she seems pretty cogent today, with a few glitches. She simply had to outlive the shrinks who tried to seem like they were helping her with the remedies of the day.

Mainly, she was lonely. This piece of her illness Dr. Fish tried to address by rebuilding her personality a little bit.

My mother loved to band birds, to garden, to make simple comfort food, to work with her dogs. She wore shabby clothes and never cleaned house. She was a little scatter-brained and talked to herself.

Fish thought that some charm school would improve the situation.

I remember I was horrified to see my Mom -- who had always had dignity -- coming down the stairs, all dolled up. And she was practicing swivelling her hips, because that's what sexy women with charm did.

We sort of laughed her out of that one.

But the relationship with Fish lasted until his unfortunate untimely death. He died with her expensive Audubon prints that she had begged him to accept as gifts. He died without ever having touched her, she said, although in the final years, the tables had been turned: He did all the talking, she did most the listening.

Fish had saved her life, she said. And he probably had. Everything is a trade-off.


My mother somehow escaped obvious dementia from the benzos, but she had some odd paranoid beliefs. It was impossible to tease out what was the effect of the meds, what was loneliness, and what was the mental poverty of living all alone -- no one to push back, to correct your false memories.

Her memory is ok, in neurological terms, but her memories are weird.

One time, maybe three years ago, we were chatting by phone. Oh, she said, I went out to Toftrees to have some dinner and there was this little toad man there.

Who? I said.

That ugly little man, she said -- you know, the one that molested you.

Who?

Arthur Goldstein, she said.

I nearly slammed down the phone right there. Arthur Goldstein, in my memory, was a good musician and a kind teacher.

Surely if he'd put the moves on me, I'd remember, right?

The creepy thing is that I have enough of an imagination that, after mulling it over and mulling it over, dismissing the crazy idea many times, I almost started to believe it: Could I somehow have repressed this memory?

Nah.



eta: Arthur might have contributed the title of these essays: Who's For Real, and Who's Far Gone.
Or should I call it: Mine Comp.

ww.arthurgoldstein.com/newday.htm

May be a New Day Coming.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/archieblue

Cut #2 (zubadu) Badendao







* Not too far off

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 07:33 AM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 07:06 AM   #289
calebprime
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Witty Timbale Manny

Manny's obit is hard to find with Google, now. Things move on, like a relentless conveyor belt. Eventually, you drop off the end of the belt no matter what you do, and are forgotten.

I don't remember his face or what he wore in his shop, but once I saw him outside in tight leather pants, with a Doberman -- lean and smiling -- on a leash.

Manny said: "Why you don't come in? Ran is here all the time!"

Indeed, Ran Blake was a patron. But I was ambivalent about my place in the NEC community by then, and Ran was an alcoholic, and Manny made me a little nervous, because I'm jumpy even at the best of times.

I'd pass the shop and see Ran, very still, distorted in all the mirrors. And Manny, very active.

He had that percussionist's quickness, and he shouted at you, abruptly.

I used to wait a long time between haircuts, so I'd come in with a lot of work for Manny to do. This seemed to try Manny's patience.

I chocked that up to some conviction on his part that clients ought to look nice.

But it was really something else: Tourette's.

I know this because I eventually asked him, in a slightly cruel moment.

Manny was working away, and I became aware that he was getting more and more tense. He wasn't barking or ticcing obviously, at first.

As he chopped at my hair like someone cutting through a thicket with a machete, he began to grunt a little. His movements got a little more abrupt, now and then, in little bursts.

I put two and two together.

"Manny, have you ever heard of something called Tourette's?"

Manny didn't answer, for once.

I heard he'd died from complications arising from an operation on his arm. Accidents in hospitals account for some large number of deaths, overall.

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 08:15 AM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 01:28 PM   #290
calebprime
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In for a penny, in for a pound

At one point in my brilliant career, I felt I was floundering.

I bought lunch for Thom Lee. (Thom Oboe Lee -- great name.)

Most of the NEC composers who came out of the Schuller tradition tended not to be that interested in theory. Schuller himself used the same 12-tone row for every piece after some point in the 70's. Nothing wrong with that, but it seems to show an emphasis on results rather attention to the generating process.

There was a kind of line from Schuller to William Thomas McKinley -- even more hopeless at theory but a good composer -- to Thom Lee. They were all pretty good jazz players, prolific composers, and not really readers of Perspectives of New Music, or other analytical journals.

I thought I should seek out some kind of peer support, maybe, instead of a teacher. I eventually came to call this idea Composer's Anonymous, a sort of formalisation of the composer-buddy idea, which in turn is a formalisation of the drinking buddy. I may have thought I was looking for a chateau with twenty one rooms, but one room would have done.

I just couldn't find that one room. Composer buddies are hard to find, harder the older you get.

And it turns out that most composers are social creatures who care more about the proper observance of status-relations than they do about ideas, which wouldn't have come as a surprise to anyone but me.

My lunch with Thom Lee wasn't going that well. He showed no interest in a little software row calculator, or anything else I had to say. The only way I could have worked with him was if I acted like one of his students, adopting their implicit assumptions of respect and authority, and using his preferred notation software, probably to do his kind of music. That works well for students. I've seen this apparent narrowing of interest in Steve Prosser too, which I chalk up to the effect of chronic contact with students, in their perpetually self-renewing ignorance.

Teaching is bad for you.

But Thom is not dumb. He'd already given me two pieces of good advice, but I was really looking for something more. He suggested that I just strike out on my own, no teacher. Or, I work with Robert Morris at Eastman, where Morris was chair. Because, he said, Morris and I seemed to get along.

What I was really looking for, that Thom Lee couldn't talk about -- either because he's not introspective, or because he just didn't want to open up -- was how a composer learns to rekindle his enthusiasm when things aren't going well. Was it about performers? Mentors? Money? Projects? Having a Muse or a hot lover? Theory?

If he knew the answer, Thom wouldn't say. I made some noises about working with him, but it really made no sense. I went away. The pulled pork sandwich was ok.

Morris had edited my paper into submission -- into consistency, the consistency of acadamese.

But his own writing was always very clear, and he had lots and lots of good ideas. The clarity of his papers stood out in the field.

I could have maybe worked with him in person except for two reasons: I wouldn't have accepted the implicit power relationship. And second, he dissed Fred Nietzsche.

I'd brought up the name, and Morris, in an email, muttered something dismissive about the destructive effect of his philosophy.

It sounded as if he'd never read any. Or maybe he disliked it because Nietzsche for most of his life was dismissive of mysticism and the East.

Morris himself practiced Buddhism, studied sitar, was rigorously mathematical. He also valued consistency in notation above almost anything. None of these kind of things are Nietzschian virtues.

Whatever the case, I lost a lot of respect for Morris because of that one line. He clearly couldn't rise above his self-interest. Or rather, he was in one camp, and perceived Nietzsche as being in an opposing camp somehow.

It's hard to find a peer. If you settle for a teacher, you have to buy in to their beliefs, at least enough to placate them. In for a penny, in for a pound.

I eventually took Thom Lee's advice after all: No teacher. The ache for community eventually passes, like a fever for more cowbell.

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 01:34 PM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 03:43 PM   #291
calebprime
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Ministry of silly walks

I embarrassed my son so much just by talking to him in front of his friends last night that we decided to rehearse how I'd walk by him, should it happen again.

I think I've got it down.

Moderate pace, medium distance, looking down at sidewalk. Without turning the head or raising it too much, a little wave of the right hand.

To make it seem a little more natural, we picked "Hey there", with a falling semitone inflection, spoken quickly, but not too quickly.

Maybe a little glance in his direction, just so it doesn't seem too weird, but lay off any facial signs of recognition.

I hope I get it right when the time comes. I respect my son.

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 03:44 PM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 04:06 PM   #292
calebprime
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The program I'm commissioning -- a 24EDO scale generator, generalized for any modulus (so I can, for instance, do my favorite EDO --118) -- is already generating useful results!

Here's the list of 5-note no-wolf structures.

There will be many improvements, too many to describe here just yet. It's just good to get started:


(define modulus 24)
(define length-min 5) ; minimum number of notes in scale
(define length-max 5) ; maximum number of notes in scale
(define wolves '(13 15)) ; wolf intervals
(define wolf-max 0) ; this many wolves are ok, but no more
(define distance-2-min 2) ; minimum difference between the lowest and highest notes
; of any 3 consecutive notes in scale
(define bad-notes '(1 13 15 23)) ; never use these notes



5 notes, no wolves



> (load "Desktop/microtonal5.txt")




notes: (0 10 14 17 22)
intervals: (10 4 3 5 2 10 4 3 5 2)
0 10 | 2 5 10
(A D E F+ G#)


notes: (0 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (10 4 3 3 4 10 4 3 3 4)
0 10 | 2 5 8
(A D E F+ G)
(A D E F#- G)

notes: (0 10 12 17 22)
intervals: (10 2 5 5 2 10 2 5 5 2)
0 10 | 0 5 10
(A D Eb F+ G#)
(A D Eb F#- G#)

notes: (0 10 12 17 20)
intervals: (10 2 5 3 4 10 2 5 3 4)
0 10 | 0 5 8
(A D Eb F+ G)

notes: (0 7 14 17 21)
intervals: (7 7 3 4 3 7 7 3 4 3)
0 7 | 2 5 9
(A C+ E F+ G+)

notes: (0 7 12 17 19)
intervals: (7 5 5 2 5 7 5 5 2 5)
0 7 | 0 5 7
(A C+ D# F+ G-)


notes: (0 7 12 14 19)
intervals: (7 5 2 5 5 7 5 2 5 5)
0 7 | 0 2 7
(A C+ D# E F#+)

notes: (0 7 10 14 17)
intervals: (7 3 4 3 7 7 3 4 3 7)
0 7 10 | 2 5
(A C+ D E F+)

notes: (0 5 12 17 22)
intervals: (5 7 5 5 2 5 7 5 5 2)
0 5 | 0 5 10
(A C- D# F+ G#)


notes: (0 5 12 17 19)
intervals: (5 7 5 2 5 5 7 5 2 5)
0 5 | 0 5 7

(A C- Eb F+ G-)

notes: (0 5 10 17 22)
intervals: (5 5 7 5 2 5 5 7 5 2)
0 5 10 | 5 10
(A C- D F#- G#)

notes: (0 5 10 12 22)
intervals: (5 5 2 10 2 5 5 2 10 2)
0 5 10 | 0 10
(A B+ D Eb G#)
(A C- D Eb G#)

notes: (0 5 10 12 17)
intervals: (5 5 2 5 7 5 5 2 5 7)
0 5 10 | 0 5
(A C- D Eb F+)
(A C- D Eb Gb-)

notes: (0 5 8 12 22)
intervals: (5 3 4 10 2 5 3 4 10 2)
0 5 8 | 0 10
(A B+ C# D# G#)

notes: (0 5 7 17 21)
intervals: (5 2 10 4 3 5 2 10 4 3)
0 5 7 | 5 9

(A C- Db- F+ G+)

notes: (0 5 7 17 19)
intervals: (5 2 10 2 5 5 2 10 2 5)
0 5 7 | 5 7

(A C- Db- F+ Gb+)
(A C- Db- F+ G-)

notes: (0 5 7 12 19)
intervals: (5 2 5 7 5 5 2 5 7 5)
0 5 7 | 0 7

(A C- Db- Eb Gb+)
(A C- Db- Eb G-)

notes: (0 5 7 12 17)
intervals: (5 2 5 5 7 5 2 5 5 7)
0 5 7 | 0 5

(A C- Db- Eb F+)
(A C- Db- Eb Gb-)

notes: (0 4 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 10 4 3 3 4 10 4 3 3)
0 4 | 2 6 9
(A B E F# G+)
(A B E F# G#-)

notes: (0 4 14 16 21)
intervals: (4 10 2 5 3 4 10 2 5 3)
0 4 | 2 4 9
(A B E F G+)
(A B E F G#-)

notes: (0 4 7 14 21)
intervals: (4 3 7 7 3 4 3 7 7 3)
0 4 7 | 2 9
(A B C+ E G+)
(A B C+ E G#-)


notes: (0 4 7 12 14)
intervals: (4 3 5 2 10 4 3 5 2 10)
0 4 7 | 0 2
(A B C+ D# E)
(A B C#- D# E)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 10 4 3 3 4 10)
0 4 7 10 | 2
(A B C+ D E)
(A B C#- D E)

notes: (0 3 10 17 20)
intervals: (3 7 7 3 4 3 7 7 3 4)
0 3 10 | 5 8
(A Bb+ D F+ G)
(A B- D F+ G)
(A B- D F#- G)

notes: (0 3 8 10 20)
intervals: (3 5 2 10 4 3 5 2 10 4)
0 3 8 10 | 8
(A B- C# D G)

notes: (0 3 7 17 21)
intervals: (3 4 10 4 3 3 4 10 4 3)
0 3 7 | 5 9
(A Bb+ C+ F+ G+)
(A Bb+ Db- F+ G+)

notes: (0 3 7 17 19)
intervals: (3 4 10 2 5 3 4 10 2 5)
0 3 7 | 5 7
(A Bb+ C+ F+ Gb+)

notes: (0 3 7 10 17)
intervals: (3 4 3 7 7 3 4 3 7 7)
0 3 7 10 | 5
(A Bb+ C+ D F+)

notes: (0 3 6 10 20)
intervals: (3 3 4 10 4 3 3 4 10 4)
0 3 6 10 | 8
(A Bb+ C D G)
(A B- C D G)

notes: (0 2 12 16 19)
intervals: (2 10 4 3 5 2 10 4 3 5)
0 2 | 0 4 7
(A Bb Eb F Gb+)
(A Bb Eb F G-)

notes: (0 2 12 14 19)
intervals: (2 10 2 5 5 2 10 2 5 5)
0 2 | 0 2 7
(A Bb D# E F#+)
(A Bb D# E Gb+)
(A Bb D# E G-)

notes: (0 2 7 14 19)
intervals: (2 5 7 5 5 2 5 7 5 5)
0 2 7 | 2 7
(A Bb C+ E Gb+)

notes: (0 2 7 12 19)
intervals: (2 5 5 7 5 2 5 5 7 5)
0 2 7 | 0 7
(A Bb C+ Eb Gb+)

notes: (0 2 7 12 14)
intervals: (2 5 5 2 10 2 5 5 2 10)
0 2 7 | 0 2
(A Bb C+ D# E)
(A Bb C#- D# E)

notes: (0 2 7 10 14)
intervals: (2 5 3 4 10 2 5 3 4 10)
0 2 7 10 | 2
(A Bb C+ D E)


Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 04:09 PM.
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Old 12th March 2016, 08:30 PM   #293
calebprime
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
On 2016-03-12 10:34, Caleb wrote:

> There should be an option to have the program print only one spelling.
> Or does that already exist, and I'm just too frazzled to see it?


It didn't, but now it does.


; okay to change these

(define modulus 12)
(define length-min 7) ; minimum number of notes in scale
(define length-max 7) ; maximum number of notes in scale
(define wolves '()) ; wolf intervals
(define wolf-max 2) ; this many wolves are ok, but no more
(define distance-2-min 1) ; minimum difference between any 2 consecutive notes in scale
(define distance-3-min 3) ; minimum difference between the lowest and highest notes
; of any 3 consecutive notes in scale
(define bad-notes '()) ; never use these notes

; #t : display multiple spellings if they're all equally good
; #f : never display more than one spelling
(define multiple-spellings #f)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;
; don't change stuff below

; A note is represented as a nonnegative integer less than modulus.
; A scale is represented as a list of notes.

(define (interval a b)
(modulo (- b a) modulus))

(define (transpose-note n k)
(modulo (+ n k) modulus))

(define (apply-to-leaves f x)
(cond
((null? x) '())
((pair? x) (cons (apply-to-leaves f (car x))
(apply-to-leaves f (cdr x))))
(else (f x))))

(define (transpose x k)
(apply-to-leaves (lambda (n) (transpose-note n k))
x))

(define (notes->intervals ns)
(if (null? ns)
'()
(let ((first (car ns)))
(let recur ((n first)
(rest (cdr ns)))
(if (null? rest)
(list (interval n first))
(cons (interval n (car rest))
(recur (car rest) (cdr rest))))))))

(define (display-2-12 s)
(let recur ((s s)
(b #t))
(when (pair? s)
(cond
((< (car s) 12) (display (car s)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #t))
(b (display "| ") (recur s #f))
(else (display (- (car s) 12)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #f))))))

(define (display-spellings s)
(let ((spellings (best-spellings s)))
(for-each (lambda (x) (display x) (newline))
(if multiple-spellings
spellings
(list (car spellings))))))

(define (display-scale s)
(display "notes: ")
(display s)
(newline)
(display "intervals: ")
(let ((x (notes->intervals s)))
(display (append x x)))
(newline)
(case modulus
((12) (display-spellings (map (lambda (n) (* n 2)) s)))
((24) (display-2-12 s) (newline)
(display-spellings s)))
(newline))

(define (display-scales ss)
(for-each display-scale ss))

(define (display-note n)
(display n)
(case modulus
((12) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names (* n 2))))
((24) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names n)))))

(define (print x)
(cond
((number? x) (display-note x))
((and (pair? x) (pair? (car x))) (display-scales x))
((pair? x) (display-scale x))))

(define scales '())

(define (found! scale)
(let ((s (reverse scale)))
(set! scales (cons s scales))
(display-scale s)))


; notes is a list of allowable notes
; n-len is the length of notes
; scale is the scale so far
; s-len is the length of scale
; wolf is the number of wolf intervals in scale
; micro is the number of odd notes in scale (min needed is 1, if modulus is 24)

; call found! for every scale that follows the rules and
; that can be made by adding to 'scale' any number (> 0)
; of notes from 'notes'
(define (find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (positive? n-len)
(< s-len length-max)
(>= (+ s-len n-len) length-min))
(let ((n (car notes))
(notes (cdr notes))
(n-len (- n-len 1)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (distances-ok? n scale s-len)
(let ((wolf (+ wolf (count-wolves n scale))))
(when (<= wolf wolf-max)
(let ((micro (+ micro (if (odd? n) 1 0)))
(scale (cons n scale))
(s-len (+ 1 s-len)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (>= s-len length-min)
(if (= modulus 24) (>= micro 1) #t)
(final-distances-ok? scale s-len))
(found! scale)))))))))

(define (distances-ok? n scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) n) distance-2-min)
(or (<= len 1)
(and (>= (interval (cadr scale) n) distance-3-min)
(>= (interval n (list-ref scale (- len 2))) distance-3-min)))))

(define (final-distances-ok? scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) 0) distance-2-min)
(>= (interval (cadr scale) 0) distance-3-min)))

(define (count-wolves n scale)
(fold-left (lambda (sum note)
(+ sum
(if (member (interval note n) wolves) 1 0)
(if (member (interval n note) wolves) 1 0)))
0 scale))

(define note-names
'#(("A" ) ; 0
("A+" "A#-" "Bb-") ; 1
("A#" "Bb" ) ; 2
("A#+" "Bb+" "B-" ) ; 3
("B" ) ; 4
("B+" "C-" ) ; 5
("C" ) ; 6
("C+" "C#-" "Db-") ; 7
("C#" "Db" ) ; 8
("C#+" "Db+" "D-" ) ; 9
("D" ) ; 10
("D+" "D#-" "Eb-") ; 11
("D#" "Eb" ) ; 12
("D#+" "Eb+" "E-" ) ; 13
("E" ) ; 14
("E+" "F-" ) ; 15
("F" ) ; 16
("F+" "F#-" "Gb-") ; 17
("F#" "Gb" ) ; 18
("F#+" "Gb+" "G-" ) ; 19
("G" ) ; 20
("G+" "G#-" "Ab-") ; 21
("G#" "Ab" ) ; 22
("G#+" "Ab+" "A-" ) ; 23
))

; A name code represents, e.g., F#+, as
; a list of three numbers, one for the F,
; one for the # and one for the +.
;
; first number: A through G are 0 through 6, respectively.
; second number: b is -1, # is +1, none is 0.
; third number: - is -1, + is +1, none is 0.

(define code-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 1)
(#\C . 2)
(#\D . 3)
(#\E . 4)
(#\F . 5)
(#\G . 6)))

; assumes name is properly capitalized
; i.e., first letter is capital, rest aren't
(define (name->code name)
(let ((lst (string->list name)))
(let ((letter (car lst))
(accidentals (cdr lst)))
(list
(cdr (assoc letter code-values))
(cond
((member #\b accidentals) -1)
((member #\# accidentals) +1)
(else 0))
(cond
((member #\- accidentals) -1)
((member #\+ accidentals) +1)
(else 0))))))

(define (code->name code)
(let ((x (car code))
(y (cadr code))
(z (caddr code)))
(string-append
(string (car (list-ref code-values x)))
(case y
((-1) "b")
((+1) "#")
(else ""))
(case z
((-1) "-")
((+1) "+")
(else "")))))

; same structure as note-names, i.e. vector of lists,
; except with each name replaced by the corresponding code
(define name-codes
(vector-map (lambda (name-list) (map name->code name-list))
note-names))

(define note-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 4)
(#\C . 6)
(#\D . 10)
(#\E . 14)
(#\F . 16)
(#\G . 20)
(#\# . 2)
(#\b . -2)
(#\+ . 1)
(#\- . -1)))

(define (string->note s)
(apply +
(map (lambda (c) (cdr (assoc c note-values)))
(let ((cs (string->list s)))
(cons (char-upcase (car cs))
(map char-downcase (cdr cs)))))))

(define (cross-product . x)
(if (null? x)
'(())
(apply append
(map (lambda (a)
(map (lambda (b) (cons a b))
(apply cross-product (cdr x))))
(car x)))))

(define (vector-increment! v i)
(vector-set! v i (+ 1 (vector-ref v i))))

; measures the extent to which letters are repeated
(define (repetitiveness x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 7 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (car c)))
x)
(apply + (map (lambda (x) (* x x))
(vector->list v)))))

; # of flats or # of sharps, whichever is smaller
(define (inconsistency x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 3 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (+ 1 (cadr c))))
x)
(min (vector-ref v 0)
(vector-ref v 2))))

; returns list of those items x of lst for which (f x) is least
(define (min-scorers f lst)
(let* ((scored-lst (map (lambda (x) (cons (f x) x))
lst))
(min-score (fold-left (lambda (a x) (min a (car x)))
(caar scored-lst) (cdr scored-lst))))
(map cdr
(filter (lambda (x) (equal? (car x) min-score))
scored-lst))))

(define (best-spellings scale)
(let* ((all-spellings (apply cross-product
(map (lambda (n) (vector-ref name-codes n))
scale)))
(best (min-scorers inconsistency
(min-scorers repetitiveness all-spellings))))
(map (lambda (scale) (map code->name scale))
best)))

(define (go)
(set! scales '())
(let ((allowed-notes (remp (lambda (n) (member n bad-notes))
(cdr (iota modulus)))))
(find-scales allowed-notes (length allowed-notes) '(0) 1 0 0)
(set! scales (reverse scales))
(newline)
(display (length scales))
(display " scales found")))

(go)
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Old 12th March 2016, 10:51 PM   #294
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
My first Jam Band

Lance Armstrong has nothing on me, Camille.

I once carried a Sears Silvertone Amp, plus my guitar, riding my bike, all the way down Nimitz Ave., somehow making the right turn onto Garner, all the way past the Hardy's, the Connaly's, just past Raab's house. What makes this remarkable was that I also carried the speaker cabinet, somehow. I know this because I didn't have to make two trips.

Ahh, Raab's house, where I once stole prescription medicine that made my pee turn orange. Another time, a very small pill, half of it, was enough to make me so sick I could barely walk.

I had a great book I carried around and read avidly. It was called something like A Dictionary of Legal and Illegal Drugs.

Just past Raab's house, Freddie Jacob's house. I was maybe 10.

Freddy suggested we learn some songs, but I just wanted to improvise.

While I was impressed with the wattage of the amps I saw on display on the Grand Funk Live Lp, I just wasn't into them like Freddie was. (Don Brewer, Don Brewer!) T.N.U.C., you see. It was all just beyond my reach.

So we jammed, for a long time, at his house, and at mine.

At my house at 487 Nimitz, there was this little space, half-way between a basement and a wine-cellar.

I gathered all the blankets and scarves and laundry I could find, and turned that little cave into a groovy jam cave.

I had discovered that it was possible to play a line in the opposite direction as the line in 25 or 6 to 4, and I just wanted to hear that for some time. I wasn't sure how to continue after that.

Robin Perez came over, and pretended to really like what she was hearing. I think she liked me more in my little league uniform, though.

We made a cassette tape. I remember telling my Mom that it was different if you played music as opposed to just listening to it. Somehow, if you played it, you had superior insight. This seemed to make her mad, but I'm not sure why.

One time at Freddie's, we hooked up his ham radio kit to a big capacitor from another amp, and attempted to send an SOS to anyone who would listen.

Another time, we had an argument about the proper use of the term Largo. My position, as I reconstruct it now, was that Largo is a range of tempos rather than an adjective. Freddie felt differently. "That's too Largo," he'd say. I felt that this was an abuse of the language.

Freddie's Mom had a Lysol room. Actually, two. There was a dining room and a living room that were both perfectly clean, and I think the couch always had plastic on it. You weren't supposed to go in there.

I had just tried yoghurt, which horrified Freddie's Mom. "That has bacteria in it!" she said, in disgust. She wore a neck brace, sometimes.

Later, I heard that she died of some kind of cancer, I think, in her neck.

Climbing the ladder of talent. Raab's house was just across the street. It was to be the next move in my career.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsVZdF5OnSs

Last edited by calebprime; 12th March 2016 at 11:08 PM.
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Old 13th March 2016, 03:14 AM   #295
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
Neutral Boyancy

There was a lot of yapping.

Sounded like an extended battle between two or three little dogs on my street, so I looked out the window. Lili was in our flat in the next room, and she happened to come into the living room where I was, to get a folder.

Seen through the window, a few stories down: A sleek figure, dressed in black, with her back to us. She was talking to a bearded man who looked like Kenny Rogers.

It was astonishing to me. Both of them stood there, apparently completely calm, and in no hurry, while at their feet two little dogs yapped, lunged, jumped, as some rival dog took its time peeing in the bushes across the street.

How could they both stand there? They were as bad as bored moms with crying babies. It wasn't just the sound, which by itself would have been enough to send me hurrying away. It was also the frustrated energy of the two little dogs. How could they both ignore that?

I envied them the way a vampire envies a human for being weak, but for being able to withstand the light. Was that Hailey? She still had her back to me.

"Lili, is that Hailey?" Lili said it was.

"I think I'll go downstairs, and tell her a little joke. You think that's ok?"

"Go right ahead."

In a moment, I have my feet up on the railing of our porch, and I can do that, because the barking had stopped. Kenny Rogers had picked up one of the little yappers, and was rewarding it by holding it on its back, and in an almost sexy way, stroking its yummy hairy belly. The dog had relaxed.

I couldn't hear much, but I heard Kenny R. saying " Great to talk to you! The old synapses are firing today."

Me: Hailey, which way are you going?

H: To the CVS.

Me: That seems propitious. I've got a little joke for you.

Long and short of it: Hailey is a psychiatrist who supervises a lot of trainees.

As she approached the railing, I said:

"Can you stand maybe six feet away from me and not talk too loud? I've got a joke for you."

Hailey has, in the past, gotten right in my face and bellowed at me, in an attempt to be sociable and charming. She deals with a lot of shell-shocked veterans who probably can't hear very well, so that makes a kind of sense.

Hailey's face the whole time has a layer of slight pain, of mild curiosity, of a friendliness that is really hostile, etc. So, we don't really like each other, but this is the moment to establish a little respect on both sides, and to clear some things up. But I don't have much time, because she's hurting enough that it's obvious.

We speak of hypomanic grief, of noise tolerance, of the vampires in What We Do in The Shadows.

With a little back and forth, I establish my points about the funny vampire movie, ending with: That's only possible in the movies.

Neither of us learns anything new, but that's ok. Neither of us likes the other any more than before, but that's ok too.

She can get to the CVS for whatever is bothering her. And I can reassure her that I'm not too crazy, and that -- given some limits -- I can speak to her like one equal to another.

The most interesting moment, in terms of her face:

I say something like: You psychiatrists must see the worst of the people with hypomania. (...) What are you going to do about it?

Hailey: That depends.

Me: It's a practical decision.

Hailey: It depends if they're getting into trouble.

So I do mention my discussions with LE, but only briefly, because Hailey should probably get to the CVS.

eta: neutral buoyancy is a little term of art from scuba diving.

Last edited by calebprime; 13th March 2016 at 03:21 AM.
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Old 13th March 2016, 04:43 AM   #296
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
It's Your Last Chance...

Maybe 1 screen, splits in 2, then into 3, then 4:

Not sure what order:

- Caleb trying to dance at a party in N.Y. -- he didn't know what to do, but he was watching Chris Connelly, who had this funny sort of fold-and-collapse-and-die move. Later, Caleb was to crap his pants, and CC's girlfriend had to clean it up. Caleb was too drunk to figure out why all this happened...The only thing he remembers is Chris Connelly telling him Rodney Dangerfield jokes: Many, many RD jokes.

https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q...lly+journalist

- Caleb happily dancing* by himself in his studio when he likes a piece of music.

- Mark Morris, young and beautiful, dancing, then, dissolve -- with a beer belly.
Caleb almost changed history by falling asleep while driving a car with Morris in it, killing all the occupants. Caleb, looking back, is inclined to believe he has a guardian angel.

- From The End of the Tour: David Foster Wallace, dancing in slo-mo at some community center with people who don't know, or couldn't care less, that he is some famous writer. --
Dissolve to John S. sleeping with Caleb's long-time girlfriend right before her graduation day. What was funny about that: The girlfriend of l-t-gf's brother the shrink was trying to console Caleb about this. Too funny. John S. later wrote about Wallace, but I can't find it. And, that's ok. Art is not eternal.

* Cross-cut with Squeegee dancing at a gig with his band -- but that's, as they say, over-egging the pudding.

Last edited by calebprime; 13th March 2016 at 04:56 AM.
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Old 13th March 2016, 05:59 AM   #297
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
note to self

Star-Wars Man, L, 22, (looks 19), from Germany and Lancaster Pa:

thanks for the info:

Wed 8-4

Some people are really amazingly bright.

This is a kid with smarts almost like Jeremy Flower -- but I have no idea if he has any particular chops.

eta: by now I know: that sweating is probably low sugar. Time to sugar up. I think. Weird. Don't ask.

Last edited by calebprime; 13th March 2016 at 06:12 AM.
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Old 13th March 2016, 06:41 AM   #298
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
Quote:
Tim McGrath surveyed the flourishing garden and lifted his voice in wonderment. "Louie," he said, "I just can't understand it. Here's these new folks with their garden and not a sign of a fence around it, no traps, no poison, no nothing; and not a thing touched, not a thing. Not a foot print onto it, not even a cutworm. Now me, I've got all them things, fences, traps, poisons; even sat up some nights with a shotgun- and what happens? All my carrots gone and half my beets, cabbages et into, tomatoes tromp down, lawn all tore up with moles. Fat-Man-down-to-the Crossroads, he keeps dogs even and he ain't got a stalk of corn left standing, all his lettuce gone, most of his turnips. I can't understand it. Must just be Beginner's Luck."

"Must be," agreed Louie. "Must be that -- or something."
Yep. Mom was right.

eta: One further note: The person who originally hand-copied this was either crying, or drunk, or very tired, or just not very bright. I've had to fill in all kinds of missing words.

eta2: Remind me to tell you how people use their dogs to express their bad selves, and somehow, no one bats an eyelash. Well, the nice old lady whose late husband was a therapist -- she sees these things, too.

Last edited by calebprime; 13th March 2016 at 06:46 AM.
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Old 13th March 2016, 08:00 AM   #299
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
There's a big feature -- harmony excludes and includes -- coming soon, but I thought I'd post the latest working version:


; okay to change these

(define modulus 12)
(define length-min 7) ; minimum number of notes in scale
(define length-max 7) ; maximum number of notes in scale
(define wolves '()) ; wolf intervals
(define wolf-max 2) ; this many wolves are ok, but no more
(define distance-2-min 1) ; minimum difference between any 2 consecutive notes in scale
(define distance-3-min 3) ; minimum difference between the lowest and highest notes
; of any 3 consecutive notes in scale
(define bad-notes '()) ; never use these notes

; #t : display multiple spellings if they're all equally good
; #f : never display more than one spelling
(define multiple-spellings #f)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;
; don't change stuff below

; A note is represented as a nonnegative integer less than modulus.
; A scale is represented as a list of notes.

(define (interval a b)
(modulo (- b a) modulus))

(define (transpose-note n k)
(modulo (+ n k) modulus))

(define (apply-to-leaves f x)
(cond
((null? x) '())
((pair? x) (cons (apply-to-leaves f (car x))
(apply-to-leaves f (cdr x))))
(else (f x))))

(define (transpose x k)
(apply-to-leaves (lambda (n) (transpose-note n k))
x))

(define (notes->intervals ns)
(if (null? ns)
'()
(let ((first (car ns)))
(let recur ((n first)
(rest (cdr ns)))
(if (null? rest)
(list (interval n first))
(cons (interval n (car rest))
(recur (car rest) (cdr rest))))))))

(define (display-2-12 s)
(let recur ((s s)
(b #t))
(when (pair? s)
(cond
((< (car s) 12) (display (car s)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #t))
(b (display "| ") (recur s #f))
(else (display (- (car s) 12)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #f))))))

(define (display-spellings s)
(let ((spellings (best-spellings s)))
(for-each (lambda (x) (display x) (newline))
(if multiple-spellings
spellings
(list (car spellings))))))

(define (display-scale s)
(display "notes: ")
(display s)
(newline)
(display "intervals: ")
(let ((x (notes->intervals s)))
(display (append x x)))
(newline)
(case modulus
((12) (display-spellings (map (lambda (n) (* n 2)) s)))
((24) (display-2-12 s) (newline)
(display-spellings s)))
(newline))

(define (display-scales ss)
(for-each display-scale ss))

(define (display-note n)
(display n)
(case modulus
((12) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names (* n 2))))
((24) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names n)))))

(define (print x)
(cond
((number? x) (display-note x))
((and (pair? x) (pair? (car x))) (display-scales x))
((pair? x) (display-scale x))))

(define scales '())

(define (found! scale)
(let ((s (reverse scale)))
(set! scales (cons s scales))
(display-scale s)))


; notes is a list of allowable notes
; n-len is the length of notes
; scale is the scale so far
; s-len is the length of scale
; wolf is the number of wolf intervals in scale
; micro is the number of odd notes in scale (min needed is 1, if modulus is 24)

; call found! for every scale that follows the rules and
; that can be made by adding to 'scale' any number (> 0)
; of notes from 'notes'
(define (find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (positive? n-len)
(< s-len length-max)
(>= (+ s-len n-len) length-min))
(let ((n (car notes))
(notes (cdr notes))
(n-len (- n-len 1)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (distances-ok? n scale s-len)
(let ((wolf (+ wolf (count-wolves n scale))))
(when (<= wolf wolf-max)
(let ((micro (+ micro (if (odd? n) 1 0)))
(scale (cons n scale))
(s-len (+ 1 s-len)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (>= s-len length-min)
(if (= modulus 24) (>= micro 1) #t)
(final-distances-ok? scale s-len))
(found! scale)))))))))

(define (distances-ok? n scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) n) distance-2-min)
(or (<= len 1)
(and (>= (interval (cadr scale) n) distance-3-min)
(>= (interval n (list-ref scale (- len 2))) distance-3-min)))))

(define (final-distances-ok? scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) 0) distance-2-min)
(>= (interval (cadr scale) 0) distance-3-min)))

(define (count-wolves n scale)
(fold-left (lambda (sum note)
(+ sum
(if (member (interval note n) wolves) 1 0)
(if (member (interval n note) wolves) 1 0)))
0 scale))

(define note-names
'#(("A" ) ; 0
("A+" "A#-" "Bb-") ; 1
("A#" "Bb" ) ; 2
("A#+" "Bb+" "B-" ) ; 3
("B" ) ; 4
("B+" "C-" ) ; 5
("C" ) ; 6
("C+" "C#-" "Db-") ; 7
("C#" "Db" ) ; 8
("C#+" "Db+" "D-" ) ; 9
("D" ) ; 10
("D+" "D#-" "Eb-") ; 11
("D#" "Eb" ) ; 12
("D#+" "Eb+" "E-" ) ; 13
("E" ) ; 14
("E+" "F-" ) ; 15
("F" ) ; 16
("F+" "F#-" "Gb-") ; 17
("F#" "Gb" ) ; 18
("F#+" "Gb+" "G-" ) ; 19
("G" ) ; 20
("G+" "G#-" "Ab-") ; 21
("G#" "Ab" ) ; 22
("G#+" "Ab+" "A-" ) ; 23
))

; A name code represents, e.g., F#+, as
; a list of three numbers, one for the F,
; one for the # and one for the +.
;
; first number: A through G are 0 through 6, respectively.
; second number: b is -1, # is +1, none is 0.
; third number: - is -1, + is +1, none is 0.

(define code-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 1)
(#\C . 2)
(#\D . 3)
(#\E . 4)
(#\F . 5)
(#\G . 6)))

; assumes name is properly capitalized
; i.e., first letter is capital, rest aren't
(define (name->code name)
(let ((lst (string->list name)))
(let ((letter (car lst))
(accidentals (cdr lst)))
(list
(cdr (assoc letter code-values))
(cond
((member #\b accidentals) -1)
((member #\# accidentals) +1)
(else 0))
(cond
((member #\- accidentals) -1)
((member #\+ accidentals) +1)
(else 0))))))

(define (code->name code)
(let ((x (car code))
(y (cadr code))
(z (caddr code)))
(string-append
(string (car (list-ref code-values x)))
(case y
((-1) "b")
((+1) "#")
(else ""))
(case z
((-1) "-")
((+1) "+")
(else "")))))

; same structure as note-names, i.e. vector of lists,
; except with each name replaced by the corresponding code
(define name-codes
(vector-map (lambda (name-list) (map name->code name-list))
note-names))

(define note-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 4)
(#\C . 6)
(#\D . 10)
(#\E . 14)
(#\F . 16)
(#\G . 20)
(#\# . 2)
(#\b . -2)
(#\+ . 1)
(#\- . -1)))

(define (string->note s)
(apply +
(map (lambda (c) (cdr (assoc c note-values)))
(let ((cs (string->list s)))
(cons (char-upcase (car cs))
(map char-downcase (cdr cs)))))))

(define (cross-product . x)
(if (null? x)
'(())
(apply append
(map (lambda (a)
(map (lambda (b) (cons a b))
(apply cross-product (cdr x))))
(car x)))))

(define (vector-increment! v i)
(vector-set! v i (+ 1 (vector-ref v i))))

; measures the extent to which letters are repeated
(define (repetitiveness x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 7 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (car c)))
x)
(apply + (map (lambda (x) (* x x))
(vector->list v)))))

; # of flats or # of sharps, whichever is smaller
(define (inconsistency x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 3 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (+ 1 (cadr c))))
x)
(min (vector-ref v 0)
(vector-ref v 2))))

; returns list of those items x of lst for which (f x) is least
(define (min-scorers f lst)
(let* ((scored-lst (map (lambda (x) (cons (f x) x))
lst))
(min-score (fold-left (lambda (a x) (min a (car x)))
(caar scored-lst) (cdr scored-lst))))
(map cdr
(filter (lambda (x) (equal? (car x) min-score))
scored-lst))))

(define (best-spellings scale)
(let* ((all-spellings (apply cross-product
(map (lambda (n) (vector-ref name-codes n))
scale)))
(best (min-scorers inconsistency
(min-scorers repetitiveness all-spellings))))
(map (lambda (scale) (map code->name scale))
best)))

(define (go)
(set! scales '())
(let ((allowed-notes (remp (lambda (n) (member n bad-notes))
(cdr (iota modulus)))))
(find-scales allowed-notes (length allowed-notes) '(0) 1 0 0)
(set! scales (reverse scales))
(newline)
(display (length scales))
(display " scales found")))

(go)
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Old 13th March 2016, 10:48 AM   #300
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
4 varwoche again & MKM

An early memory:

My brother, at an early age a fine amateur classical guitarist, is playing a piece I can't remember.

I didn't have much chops on guitar, when I was maybe 7 or 8 or 9.

But I discovered if he played that piece, and I played:

E,G#,B
E,G#,B
A,C,B,A,G#,F,
E

There was a weird kind of magical shimmering -- which I'd probably still hear to this day -- having to do with enough meshing, but enough beating, of the overtones of all the pitches.

I'm not sure if this is a little wrong, or whether it really did sound like Hava Nagila at the end there.
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Old 13th March 2016, 03:20 PM   #301
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
A nice core selection of 7-note Quarter-Tone scales,

having at most 2 wolves

having at least 2 quarter-tones (odds) and always at least 2 non-quarter-tones
(evens)



At Least 2 Quarter-tones, At Most 3 Wolves



notes: (0 5 7 11 14 17 21)
intervals: (5 2 4 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 3 3 4 3)
0 5 7 11 | 2 5 9
(A B+ C+ D+ E F+ G+)

notes: (0 4 8 11 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3)
0 4 8 11 | 2 6 9
(A B C# D+ E F# G+)


notes: (0 4 7 12 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 3 5 2 4 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 3 3)
0 4 7 | 0 2 6 9
(A B C+ D# E F# G+)

notes: (0 4 7 11 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3)
0 4 7 11 | 2 6 9
(A B C+ D+ E F# G+)

notes: (0 4 7 11 14 17 21)
intervals: (4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3)
0 4 7 11 | 2 5 9
(A B C+ D+ E F+ G+)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3)
0 4 7 10 | 2 6 9
(A B C+ D E F# G+)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 17 22)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 3 3 4 3 5 2)
0 4 7 10 | 2 5 10
(A B C+ D E F+ G#)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 17 21)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3)
0 4 7 10 | 2 5 9
(A B C+ D E F+ G+)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4)
0 4 7 10 | 2 5 8
(A B C+ D E F+ G)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 16 22)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 2 6 2 4 3 3 4 2 6 2)
0 4 7 10 | 2 4 10
(A B C+ D E F G#)

notes: (0 4 7 10 14 16 21)
intervals: (4 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 3 3 4 2 5 3)
0 4 7 10 | 2 4 9
(A B C+ D E F G+)

notes: (0 4 6 11 14 18 21)
intervals: (4 2 5 3 4 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 3 3)
0 4 6 11 | 2 6 9
(A B C D+ E F# G+)


notes: (0 3 8 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (3 5 2 4 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 3 3 4)
0 3 8 10 | 2 5 8
(A B- C# D E F+ G)

notes: (0 3 7 11 14 17 21)
intervals: (3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 4 3)
0 3 7 11 | 2 5 9
(A Bb+ C+ D+ E F+ G+)

notes: (0 3 7 10 14 17 21)
intervals: (3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3)
0 3 7 10 | 2 5 9
(A Bb+ C+ D E F+ G+)

notes: (0 3 7 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (3 4 3 4 3 3 4 3 4 3 4 3 3 4)
0 3 7 10 | 2 5 8
(A Bb+ C+ D E F+ G)

notes: (0 3 7 9 14 17 21)
intervals: (3 4 2 5 3 4 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 3)
0 3 7 9 | 2 5 9
(A Bb+ C+ Db+ E F+ G+)

notes: (0 3 6 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (3 3 4 4 3 3 4 3 3 4 4 3 3 4)
0 3 6 10 | 2 5 8
(A Bb+ C D E F+ G)

notes: (0 3 6 10 12 17 20)
intervals: (3 3 4 2 5 3 4 3 3 4 2 5 3 4)
0 3 6 10 | 0 5 8
(A Bb+ C D Eb F+ G)

notes: (0 2 7 10 14 17 20)
intervals: (2 5 3 4 3 3 4 2 5 3 4 3 3 4)
0 2 7 10 | 2 5 8
(A Bb C+ D E F+ G)

notes: (0 2 6 9 12 16 19)
intervals: (2 4 3 3 4 3 5 2 4 3 3 4 3 5)
0 2 6 9 | 0 4 7
(A Bb C Db+ Eb F Gb+)
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Old 14th March 2016, 03:28 AM   #302
calebprime
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
A failure to connect with the gendarmerie

Only connect -- that must be what the undercover cops think.

I'm walking by the T stop as usual, at 1 am -ish. Don't remember when.

I see a male figure with his back to the T, on a bench, facing out where you
might sit if you were waiting for someone to pick you up.

I'm in the basketball court, maybe 100 feet away.

I get a little closer, and, feeling kind, I give a little wave hello to reassure the nice lad.

To my surprise and dismay, he immediately gets up and starts walking toward me.

Either undercover, or someone expecting a drug buy.

Thing is, if it were a buy, he'd know who to expect: not me.

If he were some strange dealer who sells on the street, he's a lousy businessman. There was no one else around. No business ops.


As soon as he'd made two steps toward me, I said:

"Hey! Whoh! Absolutely Not! I was just waving a friendly hello!"

"Oh, ok," he said, and immediately took out his cell and typed something into it.

I turn around a second later, because he creeped me out. Nowhere in sight. Gone.


It isn't as easy being a nice vampire who wants to be left alone as some people might think.

I'm not out there to "interact".

-c


Oh, for balance:

I ran into my neighbor Andy from the library, a guy from California.

He's the best whistler I've ever heard. I always enjoy hearing him walk down my street, whistling.

I say, "Whistle me a tune."

He assumes his stance of performer, concentrating.

I don't remember what he whistled, but it was really beautiful. He even got into it, a little. A bit more of a body flourish than a Steve Gadd at work.

He whistles. His line had all kinds of contours, of curlicues, of points of arrival and departure. He even lands on a note or two with special emphasis and feeling, working the vibrato, which he'd held in check.

I'm blown away.

"Sir, I've taught in Conservatory for many* years, and all bullshort aside, in all sincerity, you have a real gift."

He bows his head, in humble gratitude.

"Thank you."

Brookline can be a great place to live, sometimes. When it's quiet.





* A slight exagg., but not really, in the scheme of things. I'm the greatest judge of whistlers on my block.

Last edited by calebprime; 14th March 2016 at 03:37 AM.
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Old 14th March 2016, 04:00 AM   #303
calebprime
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
You've got some 'splainin to do

Lili needed to work, and work the phone, and go to Yoga, so I had to do the shopping. But it was Sunday afternoon at Whole Foods. A zoo.

I think, allright, I can handle it.

I take an elegant little notebook, in which I write: MY HEARING IS A LITTLE TOO ACUTE RIGHT NOW.

And I put on my heavy duty passive hearing protectors, over some earplugs.
This causes some low frequency thudding when I walk, but otherwise it's the best
protection I've come up with.

I also have some kind of diabetic low-sugar attack, so I have an emergency that can only be solved with a slice of pizza.


My stragegy works. Mostly people are kind. I'm still in a little distress from all the sound, though. One of the workers doesn't really read English, but someone helps her. She looks like she's scared of me.

ORDER:
1 LB Teriyaki Beef Steak Tips

1 Hot Ital. Saus.

7 Pork Saus. Links

CAN YOU DO 1/2 LB SIRLOIN? (note: on sale)

Last edited by calebprime; 14th March 2016 at 04:02 AM.
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Old 14th March 2016, 04:13 AM   #304
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Some wisdom from the Beatles that is germaine, one feels.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtcxnAxQvaM

They're gonna put me in the movies
They're gonna make a big star out of me
We'll make a film about a man that's sad and lonely
And all I gotta do is act naturally

Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can never tell
The movies gonna make me a big star
Cos I can play the part so well

Well I hope you'll come and see me in the movies
Then I know that you will plainly see
The biggest fool that ever hit the big time
And all I gotta do is act naturally

We'll make the scene about a man that's sad and lonely
And begging down upon his bended knee
I'll play the part and I won't need rehearsing
All I gotta do is act naturally

Well, I'll bet you I'm gonna be a big star
Might win an Oscar you can never tell
The movies gonna make me a big star
Cos I can play the part so well

Well I hope you'll come and see me in the movies
Then I know that you will plainly see
The biggest fool that ever hit the big time
And all I gotta do is act naturally
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Old 14th March 2016, 05:21 AM   #305
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Two public speakers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvbSt-7zFes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFbvwVfWFpE Chris Farley
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Old 14th March 2016, 07:12 AM   #306
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
Some People are Smart, Some People Are Dumb

Boundaries


I'm walking back from the famous CVS -- cause of, and solution to, all of life's difficulties.

Uh oh. There are 3 Brookline Public Works Department guys on the sidewalk where I was going to walk. Those guys don't get out of your way.

I figure, ok, I'll just cross over to the other side. But one of them, at that moment, also crosses over. So I've got two on one side, and two on the other, and a big truck making noise. A gauntlet, and they've got me outnumbered.

I stop, 60 feet away, and just look.

One of the workers in his fluorescent vest-- just to **** with me -- looks over at me, and immediately pretends to be making a radio call by speaking into his vest.

I find this hilarious.

I was right. They won't move out of my way: They make me stand very close to them.

There's no choice, so I get in his face.

His blue eyes are a little cold and mean, but he's very smart, and not unkind. Just show him due respect.

Trust him.

"It's just a little bit difficult when you're sleep-deprived, and you have to walk by big tough guys like you".

"Nah, we're not that tough". "Where are you headed?"

"Just over there to my house, to get some sleep."

"There you go."

A smart man.

--------------------------------------------

I'm giving Peter a heads-up, that I'm a little wired, and I've given someone my home phone and address.

His cousin perks up. It's in her wheelhouse, now. "So, you have boundary issues". She looks at me meaningfully.

I just slow down a little, and look at her. She is unfazed.

Peter steps in, an intelligent man. "Caleb means he was concerned he might have some boundary issues with someone, and he was just warning us."

She is unfazed. "You have boundary issues", she says, bright eyes seeking mine, meaningfully.

This little insight occurs to her perhaps three more times over the next few minutes, and she tries to share it with all of us.

Now, I've seen a pattern: Frustrated Jewish women whom no one listened to, who have to insist, over and over and over, lest they be ignored.

But some people are just dumb.

Smart Sewer worker. Dumb woman.

Sometimes, the other way 'round.

No sleep for the weary.

Last edited by calebprime; 14th March 2016 at 07:17 AM.
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Old 14th March 2016, 07:44 AM   #307
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
I Will Repeat The Auditing Question: Who's For Real and Who's Far Gone, Part 26

Mark Lampariello was a very smart straight-arrow kind of guy. Worked as a postman. Probably was a boyscout. Sort of like a Myriad.

He could do incredible things with chord-voicings. In that way, he reminded me, later, of Mike Gamble. Another one.

He had an inquisitive streak, and a desire to be open-minded.

So when the Scientologists -- eyes red from lack of sleep, holding their clip-boards and their coffee-cups -- asked him if he'd like to take a free personality test, he gave it a shot.

He was so brave that he actually took one of the intro courses. The Scientologists never left him alone, after that. They kept calling, mailing, stopping by.

He'd taken the bull-baiting course. Two people sit across from each other. One tries to get the other one upset with some cheeky bit of behavior.

Mark loved to imitate this: " I will repeat the auditing question", he'd say, looking into your eyes, "How long have you been *********** your mother?"

It was funnier coming from a straight-arrow like Mark.

I'll never forget that sense of humor.

But once, many years later, I was at Sanders theater, I forget why, and coming out, in the crowd, after the show, was someone who looked for all the world like Mark.

Except. This guy had lost his sense of humor.

It must have been a different guy.

I can't tell. Being a pro will change you. You suppress parts of yourself, and other parts aren't so active because you need to survive. You grow up, you get serious. You have debts, and a career.

I checked out one little thing on YouTube: The weirdest version of House of the Rising Sun I've ever heard. It was Mark. But was it Funny?

Mark, I will repeat the auditing question: "When did you stop *********** your mother?"

Last edited by calebprime; 14th March 2016 at 07:47 AM.
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Old 14th March 2016, 08:01 AM   #308
calebprime
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
Two views from a park bench

https://www.google.com/maps/@42.3177266,-71.122523,17z

Just past the boathouse are some benches.

I'd succeeded, at last, in getting Camille to meet with me, so there we sat.

The sun was setting, and I tried a little seduction.

"Ooh, aah" I said, looking at the sunset.

Camille was more interested in getting some found sound for a theater piece she was working on called Machinal, or something -- about the struggles of a young woman having a nervous breakdown.

I walked her to the T stop, she carrying her recording gear. She stopped and looked back at me, for a while. I could never read her face.

Later, I met Alice at the same bench. I'd recorded her, also.

But this time, the only thing I remember is her remark about WIlliam Styron.

"I wouldn't advocate using ECT as a first line", she looked at me dramatically -- "yikes -- but it's amazing when you see someone just emerging from the depths."

Soon, though, Alice was impatient, and sped off on her bicycle. Maybe she'd decided she wasn't going to use me for a chapter in her book.
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Old 14th March 2016, 08:04 AM   #309
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
The bad poetry of endorphins

monday am report Weston, corner of south ave. and oak st. out rt. 30 west to Natick

Note: There are so many bodies of water out here, it gets confusing.

The Nurembega Reservoir is heavily posted: No Jogging, No Sight-Seeing, No Nothin! etc.

(That means we have to look at it, among other places)

Took a turn around one reservoir, followed many paths in area.

Then Out rt. 30 west as far as Natick line. Absolutely the most dangerous road to walk beside I've ever been on. Had to often wait for all cars to go by.

Helpful fireman at Fire Station #2.

Often next to Pike. Swamp. Nice berm near signal towers, Pike.

Tired enough by the end that I wrote this, um "poem":


To a Beautiful Fox By the Side of the Road

Quote:
Yeah, friend, it's hard to cross here
This is car country we both live in.
Your stillness so strange,
Lying Like a doll with dry buttons for eyes,
In an old moth-eaten blanket of fur:
I raise your head with my pole,
and the maggots boil,
Raise it again,
and your black tongue comes lolling out.
I'd take you home,
but my wife will have no death come home to her house,
and a good thing that is.



Sorry William, I'm just scratching the surface out this way.

And sorry for the bad poetry. I get goofy after too many hours of walking, etc.

We need to look at spots on the Pike and 128 leading out of town, somehow.

Caleb
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Old 14th March 2016, 08:19 AM   #310
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Evidentiary Support for Early Cognizance of Social Power

My son came running down the stairs, naked. He was young enough to do that without shame.

But he was very proud.

His father was talking to a student, and that meant his father was a person of standing, of power.

He was old enough to understand that.

--------------------------------------------

My father wanted to believe in woo.

I asked him, in a letter, if he had any evidence.

You mean, what the British call evidentiary, he said.

I immediately gave up.

I never discussed anything of the sort with him again.
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Old 14th March 2016, 04:32 PM   #311
blobru
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Posts: 6,900
Originally Posted by calebprime View Post

Isn't that James Taylor (the interstitial twangings)?

Just yesterday morning, they let me know I was wrong
To not bob my head excessively, and use odd emphasis.
I walked in this morning and I brought my full voice,
Won't be long before I'm ceo of this.
I've seen hires and I've seen fires.
I've seen board meetings that I thought would never end.
I've seen markets dive when I could not find a friend,
But I always thought Trump would be president.




Sorry to interrupt, cp; you were saying...
__________________
"Say to them, 'I am Nobody!'" -- Ulysses to the Cyclops

"Never mind. I can't read." -- Hokulele to the Easter Bunny
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Old 14th March 2016, 06:58 PM   #312
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Darling.

Long time.

Perfect.

More in a bit.
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Old 14th March 2016, 07:38 PM   #313
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Originally Posted by calebprime View Post
monday am report Weston, corner of south ave. and oak st. out rt. 30 west to Natick

Note: There are so many bodies of water out here, it gets confusing.

The Nurembega Reservoir is heavily posted: No Jogging, No Sight-Seeing, No Nothin! etc.

(That means we have to look at it, among other places)

Took a turn around one reservoir, followed many paths in area.

Then Out rt. 30 west as far as Natick line. Absolutely the most dangerous road to walk beside I've ever been on. Had to often wait for all cars to go by.

Helpful fireman at Fire Station #2.

Often next to Pike. Swamp. Nice berm near signal towers, Pike.

Tired enough by the end that I wrote this, um "poem":


To a Beautiful Fox By the Side of the Road
...

36

"I hide well," answered Georgie, "and wait a good long time. I look all around for Dogs. I look up the road, for cars and down the road for cars. When everything's clear I run across–fast. I hide again and look around to be sure I've not been seen. Then I go on. The same thing for crossings."

"Good," said Father. "Now recite.your Dogs."

Little Georgie closed his eyes and dutifully recited, "Fat-Man-at-the-Crossroads: two Mongrels; Good Hill Road: Dalmatian; house on Long Hill: Collie, noisy, no wind; Norfield Church corner: Police Dog, stupid, no nose; On the High Ridge, red farmhouse: Bulldog and Setter, both fat, don't bother; farmhouse with the big barns: Old Hound, very dangerous..." and so on.

He recited every dog on the route clear up to Danbury way. He did it without a mistake and swelled with pride at Father's approving nod.

"Excellent," said Father. "Now do you remember your checks and doublings?"

Little Georgie closed his eyes again and rattled off, quite fast, "Sharp right and double left, double left and double right, dead stop and back flip, right jump, left jump, false trip, and briar dive."

"Splendid," said Father. "Now attend carefully. Size up your Dog; don't waste speed on a plodder, you may need it later. If he's a rusher, check, double, and freeze. Your freeze, by the way, is still rather bad. You have a tendency to flick

37

your left ear; you must watch that. The High Ridge is very open country so keep in the shadow of the stone walls and mark the earth piles. Porkey has lots of relatives along there, and if you are pressed hard any of them will gladly take you in. Just tell them who you are, and don't forget to thank them. After a chase, hide up and take at least ten minutes' rest. And if you have to really run, tighten that knapsack strap, lace back your ears, put your stomach to the ground, and RUN!

"Get along with you now, and mind-no foolishness. We shall expect you and Uncle Analdas by tomorrow evening at the latest."

Little Georgie crossed the Twin Bridges in perfect form, returned Father's approving wave, and was off on his own.

It was gray and misty as he crossed Good Hill Road, and the Dalmatian still slept. So, apparently, did the Collie up the road, for all was quiet as he plodded up Long Hill. People were beginning to stir as he approached Norfield Church corner; little plumes of blue smoke were rising from kitchen chimneys, and the air was pleasant with the smell of frying bacon.
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Old 14th March 2016, 08:06 PM   #314
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
The Throwing Music

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cr-i...=RDcr-iGxbALnc
Grateful Dead, U.S. Blues

Quote:
Red and white, blue suede shoes, I'm Uncle Sam, how do you do?
Gimme five, I'm still alive, ain't no luck, I learned to duck.
Hem Rabbit Songs #2 -- When I Was Drinking
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bP2...G6weXmXff7UAWk


There was more to life on Nantucket than getting aroused by James Bond novels.

I had a good strong throwing arm, and one time I was throwing stones at gulls.

To my surprise and horror, I hit one, way up and over the water.

It fell so suddenly. Just some feathers in the surf.

Maybe I could rescue it, so I headed out, but the surf was too strong.

Every time I stood up against the waves, I'd get thrown back.

If I ducked down, the waves passed over head, but soon I was getting tired.

I tried to swim back to shore, but I was getting pulled farther out.

But some memory of some wisdom saved me, I think. Or maybe it was just that it was easier to swim parallel to shore, instead of fighting, all the time.

Years later, I gave my son some advice about swimming parallel to shore, and -- my right hand to God -- this actually saved his life.




The sound of starlings, with some really primitive pitch-change processing, down an octave or two:

https://app.box.com/s/34tbj55wh1jprq242pr15wcpr3nbnd7g



The sound of rain, from my house in Brighton:

https://app.box.com/s/b0poleq3tm3u8964wsett8lhkjp8w8wg

Last edited by calebprime; 14th March 2016 at 08:11 PM.
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Old 15th March 2016, 05:29 AM   #315
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
THE END



============================================
Random Notes:

Use rabbit/crone figure/ground illusion for weird supernatural *****.
eta: oops. It looks as if I've conflated two different ones. But...?




-Hyper-intensional logic has a standard problem: Clark Kent went into the phone booth, but Superman came out. Now, Clark Kent is identical with Superman, but it would be false to say that Clark Kent came out of the phone booth. Thus, even sentences which are not intensional in the usual sense do not preserve truth under substitution of terms with equal extensions.

-A historically more important example: Frege worked on a logical basis for the natural numbers, but hit a difficult snag. Could he prove that Julius Caesar is not a number? I don't know the problem well, but it is referred to as the "Julius Caesar problem"



-Here's some simple notation that will help. It's from dynamic logic (which I've done a lot of work in, but it's a broad field). Let a be an action, and P a proposition. We write

[a]P

to mean that after doing a, proposition P will necessarily be true, and

<a>P

to mean that after doing a, proposition P will possibly be true.

Thus,

[Pull into the parking lot] I will be at building 11.

The relation between the two is [a] P <-> ~<a>~P.

Protag could continually refer to this kind of formalization in deliberating what to do. He could also puzzle over how to properly add a formal statements that "I desire that P" and "I ought to do a" to the logic and, so that he could formally represent

I desire that P.
Doing a will necessarily result in P.
Therefore, I ought to do a.

In fact, that syllogism is not correct, since there may be alternative means to bring about P and he may have reasons not to do a. These are issues that I think about quite a bit.

Last edited by calebprime; 15th March 2016 at 05:32 AM.
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Old 15th March 2016, 06:01 AM   #316
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Yo Pit, part 2

just now, maybe 8:48

It's the beige pit that belongs to the neighbor across the street, in the condo.

I'm walking on right side of Cypress, heading toward rt.9.

He's got pit on leash, he's walking briskly, as am I, in opposite direction.
Has a poncho on, has the red face of an alcoholic, perhaps.

A little test: I smile at him and say, oh, can I say hi to your nice doggie?

As I get closer, I see nice beige doggie has a very cruel scar across his face, (though not a hearing aid)

At 2 feet, Nice Doggie lunges at me very hard, barking real nasty, real threat barks. Like **** YOU GET AWAY GET AWAY!

Owner, from condo across the street, is pulled off balance, forward, before he can recover.

I can't register, whether the leash is solid, or even if there's a muzzle, but with the way the pit is barking, how can there be a muzzle? It's LOUD.

I say, smiling, having moved past him: "See, this is what I'm talking about."

It takes him a moment, then as he moves away...

"Oh, no. He's just talking!"

An eloquent dog.

-c
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Old 15th March 2016, 08:23 AM   #317
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
10:30 A.M. Spoke with officer Cheung, of Animal Control

Technically* the dog is "in control", so there's nothing they will do.



* This was all that mattered to Cheung. I'm not impressed.


But, you know what? There are risks in life all the time. Probably, the first time that dog bites someone, it won't be a big injury. But, it's gonna happen.
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Old 15th March 2016, 10:51 PM   #318
calebprime
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A group of 8-note qt scales: 9 of them

notes: (0 5 7 12 14 17 19 22)
intervals: (5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2)
0 5 7 | 0 2 5 7 10
(A B+ C+ D# E F+ F#+ G#)

notes: (0 5 7 10 12 17 19 22)
intervals: (5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2)
0 5 7 10 | 0 5 7 10
(A B+ C+ D Eb F+ Gb+ Ab)

notes: (0 3 5 10 12 17 19 22)
intervals: (3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2)
0 3 5 10 | 0 5 7 10
(A Bb+ C- D Eb F+ Gb+ Ab)

notes: (0 2 7 9 14 16 19 21)
intervals: (2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3)
0 2 7 9 | 2 4 7 9
(A Bb C+ Db+ E F Gb+ G+)

notes: (0 2 7 9 12 14 19 21)
intervals: (2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3)
0 2 7 9 | 0 2 7 9
(A Bb C+ C#+ D# E F#+ G+)

notes: (0 2 7 9 12 14 17 19)
intervals: (2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5)
0 2 7 9 | 0 2 5 7
(A Bb C+ Db+ Eb E F+ Gb+)

notes: (0 2 5 7 12 14 19 21)
intervals: (2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3)
0 2 5 7 | 0 2 7 9
(A A# B+ C+ D# E F#+ G+)

notes: (0 2 5 7 12 14 17 19)
intervals: (2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5 2 3 2 5)
0 2 5 7 | 0 2 5 7
(A A# B+ C+ D# E F+ G-)

notes: (0 2 5 7 10 12 17 19)
intervals: (2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5 2 3 2 3 2 5 2 5)
0 2 5 7 10 | 0 5 7
(A Bb B+ C+ D Eb F+ Gb+)


9 scales found
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Old 16th March 2016, 04:21 AM   #319
calebprime
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Posts: 13,001
Balance

Here's a new version that

1) prints the parameters of the search at the beginning of the ouput

2) does a simple quick-and-dirty test for "balance" -- in this case
a switch that, when turned on, requires there to be at least 2 odds
and 2 evens in 24EDO.




; okay to change these

(define modulus 24)
(define length-min 7) ; minimum number of notes in scale
(define length-max 7) ; maximum number of notes in scale
(define wolves '(13 15)) ; wolf intervals
(define wolf-max 2) ; this many wolves are ok, but no more
(define distance-2-min 2) ; minimum difference between any 2 consecutive notes in scale
(define distance-3-min 6) ; minimum difference between the lowest and highest notes
; of any 3 consecutive notes in scale
(define bad-notes '(1 13 15 23)) ; never use these notes

; #t : require each scale to have at least 2 even and 2 odd notes
; #f : impose no such requirement
(define balanced #t)

; #t : display multiple spellings if they're all equally good
; #f : never display more than one spelling
(define multiple-spellings #f)

;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ;;
; don't change stuff below

(define settings
'(
modulus
length-min
length-max
wolves
wolf-max
distance-2-min
distance-3-min
bad-notes
balanced
multiple-spellings))

(define (setting-length s)
(string-length (symbol->string s)))

(define (display-setting s len)
(display (make-string (- len (setting-length s)) #\space))
(display s)
(display ": ")
(display (eval s))
(newline))

(define (display-settings)
(let ((len (apply max (map setting-length settings))))
(for-each (lambda (s) (display-setting s len))
settings)))

; A note is represented as a nonnegative integer less than modulus.
; A scale is represented as a list of notes.

(define (interval a b)
(modulo (- b a) modulus))

(define (transpose-note n k)
(modulo (+ n k) modulus))

(define (apply-to-leaves f x)
(cond
((null? x) '())
((pair? x) (cons (apply-to-leaves f (car x))
(apply-to-leaves f (cdr x))))
(else (f x))))

(define (transpose x k)
(apply-to-leaves (lambda (n) (transpose-note n k))
x))

; x is no longer than y
(define (prefix? x y)
(or (null? x)
(and (equal? (car x) (car y))
(prefix? (cdr x) (cdr y)))))

; d is (- (length y) (length x))
(define (sublist? x y d)
(and (>= d 0)
(or (prefix? x y)
(sublist? x (cdr y) (- d 1)))))

; ns is a non-empty list of notes
(define (notes->intervals ns)
(let ((first (car ns)))
(let recur ((n first)
(rest (cdr ns)))
(if (null? rest)
(list (interval n first))
(cons (interval n (car rest))
(recur (car rest) (cdr rest)))))))

(define (test-cell x y)
(if (not (= (length x) (length y)))
'different-lengths
(let ((xx (notes->intervals (list-sort < x)))
(yy (notes->intervals (list-sort < y)))
(d (length (cdr y))))
(let* ((y-forward (append (cdr yy) yy))
(y-backward (reverse y-forward)))
(if (or (sublist? xx y-forward d)
(sublist? xx y-backward d))
'same
'different)))))

; return a list of all size-k subsets of list xs
; n is (length xs)
(define (subsets xs n k)
(cond
((zero? k) '(()))
((> k n) '())
(else (append
(map (lambda (s) (cons (car xs) s))
(subsets (cdr xs) (- n 1) (- k 1)))
(subsets (cdr xs) (- n 1) k)))))

(define (display-2-12 s)
(let recur ((s s)
(b #t))
(when (pair? s)
(cond
((< (car s) 12) (display (car s)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #t))
(b (display "| ") (recur s #f))
(else (display (- (car s) 12)) (display " ") (recur (cdr s) #f))))))

(define (display-spellings s)
(let ((spellings (best-spellings s)))
(for-each (lambda (x) (display x) (newline))
(if multiple-spellings
spellings
(list (car spellings))))))

(define (display-scale s)
(display "notes: ")
(display s)
(newline)
(display "intervals: ")
(let ((x (notes->intervals s)))
(display (append x x)))
(newline)
(case modulus
((12) (display-spellings (map (lambda (n) (* n 2)) s)))
((24) (display-2-12 s) (newline)
(display-spellings s)))
(newline))

(define (display-scales ss)
(for-each display-scale ss))

(define (display-note n)
(display n)
(case modulus
((12) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names (* n 2))))
((24) (display " ") (display (vector-ref note-names n)))))

(define (print x)
(cond
((number? x) (display-note x))
((and (pair? x) (pair? (car x))) (display-scales x))
((pair? x) (display-scale x))))

(define scales '())

(define (found! scale)
(let ((s (reverse scale)))
(set! scales (cons s scales))
(display-scale s)))


; notes is a list of allowable notes
; n-len is the length of notes
; scale is the scale so far
; s-len is the length of scale
; wolf is the number of wolf intervals in scale
; micro is the number of odd notes in scale (min needed is 1, if modulus is 24)

; call found! for every scale that follows the rules and
; that can be made by adding to 'scale' any number (> 0)
; of notes from 'notes'
(define (find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (positive? n-len)
(< s-len length-max)
(>= (+ s-len n-len) length-min))
(let ((n (car notes))
(notes (cdr notes))
(n-len (- n-len 1)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (distances-ok? n scale s-len)
(let ((wolf (+ wolf (count-wolves n scale))))
(when (<= wolf wolf-max)
(let ((micro (+ micro (if (odd? n) 1 0)))
(scale (cons n scale))
(s-len (+ 1 s-len)))
(find-scales notes n-len scale s-len wolf micro)
(when (and (>= s-len length-min)
(balance-ok? s-len micro)
(final-distances-ok? scale s-len))
(found! scale)))))))))

(define (distances-ok? n scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) n) distance-2-min)
(or (<= len 1)
(and (>= (interval (cadr scale) n) distance-3-min)
(>= (interval n (list-ref scale (- len 2))) distance-3-min)))))

(define (final-distances-ok? scale len)
(and (>= (interval (car scale) 0) distance-2-min)
(>= (interval (cadr scale) 0) distance-3-min)))

(define (count-wolves n scale)
(fold-left (lambda (sum note)
(+ sum
(if (member (interval note n) wolves) 1 0)
(if (member (interval n note) wolves) 1 0)))
0 scale))

(define (balance-ok? s-len micro)
(if (= modulus 24)
(if balanced
(<= 2 micro (- s-len 2))
(<= 1 micro))
#t))

(define note-names
'#(("A" ) ; 0
("A+" "A#-" "Bb-") ; 1
("A#" "Bb" ) ; 2
("A#+" "Bb+" "B-" ) ; 3
("B" ) ; 4
("B+" "C-" ) ; 5
("C" ) ; 6
("C+" "C#-" "Db-") ; 7
("C#" "Db" ) ; 8
("C#+" "Db+" "D-" ) ; 9
("D" ) ; 10
("D+" "D#-" "Eb-") ; 11
("D#" "Eb" ) ; 12
("D#+" "Eb+" "E-" ) ; 13
("E" ) ; 14
("E+" "F-" ) ; 15
("F" ) ; 16
("F+" "F#-" "Gb-") ; 17
("F#" "Gb" ) ; 18
("F#+" "Gb+" "G-" ) ; 19
("G" ) ; 20
("G+" "G#-" "Ab-") ; 21
("G#" "Ab" ) ; 22
("G#+" "Ab+" "A-" ) ; 23
))

; A name code represents, e.g., F#+, as
; a list of three numbers, one for the F,
; one for the # and one for the +.
;
; first number: A through G are 0 through 6, respectively.
; second number: b is -1, # is +1, none is 0.
; third number: - is -1, + is +1, none is 0.

(define code-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 1)
(#\C . 2)
(#\D . 3)
(#\E . 4)
(#\F . 5)
(#\G . 6)))

; assumes name is properly capitalized
; i.e., first letter is capital, rest aren't
(define (name->code name)
(let ((lst (string->list name)))
(let ((letter (car lst))
(accidentals (cdr lst)))
(list
(cdr (assoc letter code-values))
(cond
((member #\b accidentals) -1)
((member #\# accidentals) +1)
(else 0))
(cond
((member #\- accidentals) -1)
((member #\+ accidentals) +1)
(else 0))))))

(define (code->name code)
(let ((x (car code))
(y (cadr code))
(z (caddr code)))
(string-append
(string (car (list-ref code-values x)))
(case y
((-1) "b")
((+1) "#")
(else ""))
(case z
((-1) "-")
((+1) "+")
(else "")))))

; same structure as note-names, i.e. vector of lists,
; except with each name replaced by the corresponding code
(define name-codes
(vector-map (lambda (name-list) (map name->code name-list))
note-names))

(define note-values
'((#\A . 0)
(#\B . 4)
(#\C . 6)
(#\D . 10)
(#\E . 14)
(#\F . 16)
(#\G . 20)
(#\# . 2)
(#\b . -2)
(#\+ . 1)
(#\- . -1)))

(define (string->note s)
(apply +
(map (lambda (c) (cdr (assoc c note-values)))
(let ((cs (string->list s)))
(cons (char-upcase (car cs))
(map char-downcase (cdr cs)))))))

(define (cross-product . x)
(if (null? x)
'(())
(apply append
(map (lambda (a)
(map (lambda (b) (cons a b))
(apply cross-product (cdr x))))
(car x)))))

(define (vector-increment! v i)
(vector-set! v i (+ 1 (vector-ref v i))))

; measures the extent to which letters are repeated
(define (repetitiveness x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 7 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (car c)))
x)
(apply + (map (lambda (x) (* x x))
(vector->list v)))))

; # of flats or # of sharps, whichever is smaller
(define (inconsistency x) ; x: list of name codes
(let ((v (make-vector 3 0)))
(for-each (lambda (c) (vector-increment! v (+ 1 (cadr c))))
x)
(min (vector-ref v 0)
(vector-ref v 2))))

; returns list of those items x of lst for which (f x) is least
(define (min-scorers f lst)
(let* ((scored-lst (map (lambda (x) (cons (f x) x))
lst))
(min-score (fold-left (lambda (a x) (min a (car x)))
(caar scored-lst) (cdr scored-lst))))
(map cdr
(filter (lambda (x) (equal? (car x) min-score))
scored-lst))))

(define (best-spellings scale)
(let* ((all-spellings (apply cross-product
(map (lambda (n) (vector-ref name-codes n))
scale)))
(best (min-scorers inconsistency
(min-scorers repetitiveness all-spellings))))
(map (lambda (scale) (map code->name scale))
best)))

(define (go)
(set! scales '())
(display-settings)
(newline)
(let ((allowed-notes (remp (lambda (n) (member n bad-notes))
(cdr (iota modulus)))))
(find-scales allowed-notes (length allowed-notes) '(0) 1 0 0)
(set! scales (reverse scales))
(newline)
(display "number of scales found: ")
(display (length scales))))

(go)
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Old 16th March 2016, 04:34 AM   #320
calebprime
Penultimate Amazing
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 13,001
The need for balance

I'm going to try to sketch out the notion of "balance" as it applies to scales, tunings, and the program we're trying to write.

First, I want to start with a ridiculous case, to make the point.

Let's say we start with a quarter-tone scale with 1 quarter-tone in it.

C,D-,Eb,F,G,A,Bb, (C) but, let us say, the music requires that we
only use 6 ot the 7 notes, and those notes are: C,Eb,F,G,A,Bb.

This won't be very "quarter-toney" sounding.

--------------

Now, the purpose of our program is that it should quickly and accurately spit
out lists of scales of our own choosing. We're not trying to define Rules of The
Universe with our parameters. We're trying to define some controls that will
give us the results we desire in the most accurate way, and the most easy-to-
read way.

--------------

Also, in order to be usable for more than 10 minutes by a very small group of people, we are seeking to generalize the controls, so that the program will work equally well for all divisions of the octave, from 2 to ...I dunno, 512EDO. I'm never going to go over 118EDO, but I will try that one, because that's the EDO I've come to prefer as being as high as I need to go to do anything I want.

---------------

In the case of 24EDO, the control required is simple. 12EDO pitches are even, and the "quarter-tones" are odd.

So all that is required is a dumb rule saying: [When We So Choose]: at least so many evens, at least so many odds.

Last edited by calebprime; 16th March 2016 at 04:45 AM.
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