lo shu or ‘solfeggio’ tonality templates

Here are the template files I use in order to create the experimental tonal system using the 3-digit Lo Shu or “solfeggio” number series as illustrated in the above image (courtesy of Bob Philips).  For all related posts, click here.

Once again, these numbers are interpreted as frequencies in Hz, and are inspired by the following threads.  Although these numeric concepts are rather ancient, the frequencies themselves are not.

The 81 Lo Shu Tones within the 729 Fabric and;
The Sacred Solfeggio Megathread

I used Custom Scale Editor (CSE) for creating these scales.  The 81-tone and the 36-tone scales are mapped “chromatically”, that is, linearly across the keyboard.

CSE allows an export of a .txt file in order to use the scale within a Kontakt patch for tuning sample-based virtual instruments. It also generates an Absynth .gly file for tuning synth patches.  CSE comes with good documentation on how to import these files into the various virtual instruments.  You can also tell CSE to capture MIDI data live from a controller and route it to any sound source.  It is also possible to export a Scala .scl file with a .kbm keyboard map file so that you can work with these pitches directly in Scala. I’ve included all these mentioned file types in this download for your convenience.

If you are using Kontakt:
Kontakt outputs an error when a MIDI note is set to “OFF” in CSE, therefore I have only re-tuned the keyboard maps starting on MIDI note 24 for the 36-tone scale; and MIDI note 21 for the 81-tone scale. Therefore, I have left the notes above and below the scale ‘as is’ at 12-tone equal temperament in these scripts, so please know that you can still play these ‘extra’ notes, but they are not part of the Lo Shu pitch set.  Also, any release samples have not been scripted for re-tuning in Kontakt (see this thread), so you might need to mute those particular samples, if applicable in your patch.

After much experimentation, I have concluded that by using the DAW Reaper will greatly assist you in composing with this pitch set.  I say this primarily because Reaper allows users to input, import and export custom MIDI note names directly onto the piano roll, which adds a very useful visual reference.  In the download, I have also included a text file so you can import these values onto Reaper’s MIDI editor easily.

They are not perfect, but they do work!  And I hope it serves you well :) Enjoy.

Download: The Lo Shu Tonality Templates

two pieces for player piano

Two pieces composed for the Disklavier digital piano.  I used a sequencer to feed the piano MIDI information in “live” performance at the Banff Centre in 2008.

a taste of nancarrow

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I’ve recently delved into the music of Conlon Nancarrow.  Here is a sample-based improvisation of one of his “etudés” for player piano.  Nancarrow once said: “ever since I’d been writing music I was dreaming of getting rid of the performers”.  Here’s an homage to that very idea.