these pieces grew out of my research and interest in just intonation and prime numbers. during my explorations, i came across some interesting prime number sets and wondered what they would sound like. i constructed these pieces using sine wave generators in max/msp. i chose a base frequency (fundamental) for each piece and multiplied that number by each of the prime numbers in a given set to determine the harmonics / partials / overtones. most of the overtones were transposed down several octaves to fit within a comfortable 2-3 octave range. this became my “scale” or harmonic zone for each piece. i related the panning and metronome speed of each overtone to its frequency. rhythmically, each sine tone / frequency followed its own 3 beat cycle which created overlapping prime number rhythmic patterns. beat 1 = base frequency for that given overtone. beat 2 = an octave higher. beat 3 = silence (rest). the lower overtones had faster rhythmic cycles and the higher overtones had slower rhythmic cycles. this was a way for me to relate the rhythm to the prime number sets and integrate it with the harmony while still retaining a musical texture that was interesting to me. i used a simple stereo delay to blur the rhythmic texture to create more of a slowly shifting, patterned harmonic cloud. these pieces are dedicated to james tenney (1934-2006). they are an acknowledgment of his extraordinary work with alternate tuning systems and just intonation. his musical life should be an inspiration to us all… 300 copies in screen printed chipboard covers.
DAVIS, GREG ~ PRIMES ~ cd (autumn)
DAVIS, GREG ~ PRIMES ~ cd (autumn)
these pieces grew out of my research and interest in just intonation and prime numbers. during my explorations, i came across some interesting prime number sets and wondered what they would sound like. i constructed these pieces using sine wave generators in max/msp. i chose a base frequency (fundamental) for each piece and multiplied that number by each of the prime numbers in a given set to determine the harmonics / partials / overtones. most of the overtones were transposed down several octaves to fit within a comfortable 2-3 octave range. this became my “scale” or harmonic zone for each piece. i related the panning and metronome speed of each overtone to its frequency. rhythmically, each sine tone / frequency followed its own 3 beat cycle which created overlapping prime number rhythmic patterns. beat 1 = base frequency for that given overtone. beat 2 = an octave higher. beat 3 = silence (rest). the lower overtones had faster rhythmic cycles and the higher overtones had slower rhythmic cycles. this was a way for me to relate the rhythm to the prime number sets and integrate it with the harmony while still retaining a musical texture that was interesting to me. i used a simple stereo delay to blur the rhythmic texture to create more of a slowly shifting, patterned harmonic cloud. these pieces are dedicated to james tenney (1934-2006). they are an acknowledgment of his extraordinary work with alternate tuning systems and just intonation. his musical life should be an inspiration to us all… 300 copies in screen printed chipboard covers.