Canon in J

(N.B. — This is the earlier of two versions. You can find the other on my channel)

The Pachelbel's Canon of the Bohlen-Pierce musical scale. Rather than 12 steps to the 2nd harmonic (octave), BP uses 13 steps to the 3rd harmonic (tritave).

To my knowledge, there are no other convincingly rigorous attempts toward a meaningful 12-TET/BP transposition process that go beyond an attempt at 1-to-1 mapping. A deeper understanding of what individual voices are doing and how they are interacting in Canon in D must first be achieved, and then the voices in the BP composition must be made to function in similar ways (while negotiating other conditions such as melodic contour and reasonable absolute pitch).

The progression of Pachelbel's Canon is essentially a harmonization of a descending major scale extrapolating itself into variously configured transient chords.

Canon in D constitutes an elegant mathematical proof that the diatonic scale is emergent, not a cultural or academic contrivance. Canon in J aims to do the same service for one of BP's diatonic scales (specifically Moll II [Pierce]).

While 2nd order acoustic spectra certainly exist in natural circumstances and theoretically ideal forms (square wave, triangle wave), a scale based on only odds is bound to sound not as 'natural' as one with odds and evens. Or at least not on the first few listens.

This recording of Canon in J was performed in overdubbed rounds using a fretless 8-string electric bass with custom-gauges, tuning and markings set specifically to meet the requirements of the composition.

P.S. If this is listened to this over shitty computer speakers, one will miss a lot of the bass end.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Bohlen-Pierce
• Bohlen
• Pierce
• BP
• Pachelbel's
• Canon
• contrabass

[SamrFoster]

Do you have 'sheet music' for this? I'd like to see what the formal harmonic structure is and I'm too busy (or too lazy) to figure it all out myself.

[kjellmikal]

@SamrFoster Yeah, actually. There's now a score available for the reworked, final version of this composition. If interested, PM me. A video with the score scrolling by in time with the music would be cool, so I may get that together at some point.

[ElPayasoMalo]

This reminds me of Frank Zappa. :)

[kjellmikal]

@ElPayasoMalo cool! I never thought about it like that while composing it, but I really dig that comparison

[kjellmikal]

Yo. So, finally I got that new version I'd been promising up on my channel. It's synthesized rather than being done with live instruments, so that's a drag…but it's definitely my preferred and final version of the if-Pachabel's-Canon-were-BP composition idea. Thanks all!

[Envergure]

Is there any software out there that can play BP music?

[kjellmikal]

Also, a super easy (but cumbersome and timbreally limited) approach: In Audacity's menu, Generate > Tone, and do the Hz math.

[SomethingRules]

gonna have this played at my wedding

[kaidaigoji]

The BP scale makes beautiful music on paper.

[Sherbrick]

@Envergure Yes. I use VSTHost with ZynSubAddFX. The former is just a host, the latter is a VST plugin that can be tuned with .scl files (get it from Scala or type the cents in yourself.) Zyn gives you some preset timbres that are okay and can be tweaked more to your liking. You can use your keyboard or a MIDI keyboard to play, or route MIDI data from your midi editor or notation software

[ChibiRaikou]

industrial as fuck

[kratanuva725]

@kaidaigoji Correction; The BP scale makes beautiful music.

[RawrzGuy]

So fucking beautiful.

[mailedbypostman]

interesting, but not really engaging.

[Patchworkdrum]

It's like Danny Elfman had an orgy with Pachelbel and all of Eastern music. I like it.

[ElPayasoMalo]

@kjellmikal As well anyone should. Perhaps you can take his mantle, boldly going where he never did. :)