What can you tell me about Just Intonation?

[Chankgeez]

Nice, ibarakishi, thanks! That eBay link didn't work for me though. I'll have to copy & paste those names in Thai.

I'm gonna listen to some of that music this afternoon. Seems interesting.

[ibarakishi]

Chankgeez, if you just type in 'phin thai' to ebay, it should come up with a lot of results. The prices are very high though on ebay because they are selling to foreigners who they think don't know the prices, they are half or one third the price here normally.

[Chankgeez]

Thanks again! I just did an image search. They look amazing!

[$harkToootth]

Two of my favorite movies derive from the Isan region. I like a lot of things (music, movies) that come from there. Seems like a magic place with an interesting history.

[ibarakishi]

I am guessing you are talking about apichapong werasetakul right? I have met him before and been able to to ask him questions about his movies in person, which was really interesting. He is a very humble man, and very much an alien in his home country. I am sure you already know all about this though. Like you said, the history in ISAN and the north as well is very deep and very at conflict with the rest of Thailand (aka the rich and loyal nationalists, the same could be said about the deep south, but that conflict continues today for different reasons). I could talk about his work a lot, i enjoy it very much, as do i enjoy people like pen ek ratanaruang (Last Life In The Universe is as close to a biography as i have come across in film, and is probably my favorite Thai film for many reasons. The soundtracks in his movies are so beautiful as well). They just did a huge retrospective of his work at the new museum in Chiang Mai this year, where they showed all of his college work, random unpublished work, journals, scripts, photography, and tons of his back catalog (along with some of his famous works that have not be distributed). I spent the whole day sitting in this tiny private cinema in the museum with a bag of snacks so that i didn't miss anything (the films/shorts/experiments were running in series without any break). He also just released a CD that contains a lot of the scores on his movies as well called Metaphors.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9zugd8Oed8[/youtube]

Riyuchi Sakamoto is a huge fan of his work too.

i forgot to mention, but the northern style of music here is called 'lanna'. It is the 'old kingdom' of the north.

Sorry i kind of derailed this thread, really all i wanted to mention was that i like 7TET music haha. If you ever want to talk Thai film Sharktooth, you know who to message


and one last song to listen to as you drift into the void
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4xMX4Gcu8AY[/youtube]

[$harkToootth]

I just watched LAST LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE. Masterpiece....truly a beautiful film. I am going to watch it again either Thursday or Friday.

Apichapong Werasetakul is exactly who I was writing about. I've seen a lot of movies and his are truly special. There is not another director like him. I won't derail the thread further but we shall get into the discourse soon my friend

Keeping the thread ON TOPIC!!! This is the video that opened my eyes to 'just intonation' (it actually might have be a Sarah Longfield video?). I actually saw this guy's cousin (the other half of Dewanatron) live a few years ago.

Hope you enjoy the video! It's a succinct explanation of 'just intonation' but if you can't follow along (like me the first time watching) at the very least you get a cool demo of an unusual instrument.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfcgWsImcaU[/youtube]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfcgWsImcaU

[Chankgeez]

Sorry i kind of derailed this thread...

What you had to say was just as interesting as Just Intonation.

[ibarakishi]

I finally listened through every video that you and D.o.S. posted Chankgeez, and also listened through some other things online about this subject, specifically just intonation (because i am least familiar with that). I don't know why exactly, but i like the sound of instruments playing in an actual acoustic space with real strings/percussion/etc. a lot more for these tunings over synthesis. I don't know why, but it is really clear to me in listening to things like in the video you just posted Sharktooth vs. some acoustic instruments playing that my preference is way leaning towards acoustic instruments (or things that are acoustically generated and then processed with effects, ect.). I don't really have this strong feeling with normal tuning in the 12TET system with equal temperament tuning, or i guess maybe it just isn't as strong. I think it would be really interesting to see someone who used a really strong combination of both synthesis and acoustic based instruments that played a lot with the conflict and contrast in dynamics between both. From what i have been able to find online in the quick searches i have done, there doesn't really seem to be anyone doing this type of composition work. Have you found anything that you enjoy like this D.o.S. or Chankgeez ? Everything i have listened to or seen seems to be extremely divided or dominated by one type of playing or the other.

[Chankgeez]

You know, ibarakishi, I haven't really ever thought of looking for a combination of those two approaches. I think the divisions lie in the main groups of musicians interested in Just Intonation: enthomusicologists, Western classical composers and synthesists. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of overlap among those groups. So, maybe, never the twain shall meet? I mean, there's definitely some degree of cross-interest amongst them, but maybe not enough to manifest itself as an actual merger of approaches.

The thing about synthesizers or digital instruments is that it's way easier to change their tuning than most acoustic instruments. I used to work at a Lebanese restaurant which had belly dancing one night a week. The accompanying keyboard player had a device which plugged into his digital keyboard to change the tuning. I thought that was pretty neat. Just a flick of a switch and you're in an entirely different tuning. I just did a search for it, but don't remember what it's called.

I generally prefer some actual acoustical component in music I listen to as well. So, I'll have to start searching for some music in Just Intonation which incorporates both acoustic and electronic instruments. There's definitely people making music like that. It may not necessarily be in Just Intonation though.

[D.o.S.]

http://importantrecords.com/imprec/imprec272

All roads lead to Duane Pitre for me.

[ibarakishi]

http://importantrecords.com/imprec/imprec272

All roads lead to Duane Pitre for me.

This is definitely in the direction i was thinking, thanks D.o.S.

And Chank, let me know what you come across too in your searches

[Chankgeez]

As mentioned by voerking earlier in the thread, I believe these dudes rock in Just Intonation :

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBqeYHeNkcA[/youtube]

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

[ibarakishi]

haha, this sounds so much like the album 'The Bedlam in Goliath' by the Mars Volta, which isn't necessarily a bad thing

[ibarakishi]

been thinking about this thread lately, but don't really have anything to add.

i have been listening to a lot of music using this northern thai instrument called พิณเพียะ (Pin phia). it is able to modulate the notes by raising and lowering the sound hole shell that you place against your chest.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLtWu2l_NwQ[/youtube]

maybe others will enjoy it too