May, 1982

TONE- OR PITCH-BENDING as gateway to NON-12

Although most music teaching for a century and more has been on a basis of 12 rigid pitch-classes the actual pitches heard and performed deviate from this theoretical standard. The practice of consciously deviating the pitch is called tone-bending or pitch-bending in popular music circles, and in more strait-laced musical practice it is euphemized as "expressive intonation" or "sharpened leading-tones" or "flexible" intonation.

There are similar, but not identical, practices known as "blue notes" (sometimes analyzed as septimal intervals) and then the organ-builder and the accordion-maker has "celeste" ranks of pipes or reeds, tuned mostly slightly sharp of the principal pitches, and maybe another tuned slightly flat. Then there is vibrato as frequency-modulation of tones. A new technique of the celeste kind if the double-tracking and pitch modification done by special boxes in recording studios.

Until very recently, all this was haphazard and so the 12-tone equal temperament was honored more in the breach than the observance. Usually it is not exact on a piano or organ--until precision-tuned organs and synthesizers came on the market in recent years. Then THEIR attempts to provide celeste and vibrato become unplesant--too regular, too mechanical. With precision 12-equal now being heard more and more by the public, the unconscious desire to escape 12-equal is intensified. This gives us a great opportunity to introduce NON-TWELVE-TONE scales and satisfy this desire.

At the same time: bending can now become overt instead of covert, and can be consciously directed. Moreover, it can become ORDERLY and SYSTEMATIC, by referring it to scales such as 17 19 22 24 31 34 etc. Then it becomes possible to make it logical and to teach it instead of passing it on sub rosa and under the table, so to speak.

I have taken up this subject in Xenharmonic Bulletin and will take it up in the future. Meanwhile, those who are experts in tone-bending on instruments should join me and write their own opinions on this subject. For certain people and certain styles of melodies, it will be an excellent way to initiate beginners and get them interested. Merely make explicit that which has hitherto been hidden!