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Friday, 10 July 2009

Thursday, 02 July 2009

  • Polymetered Music

    I recorded a bit of polymetered music earlier.

    http://www.mediafire.com/?i1d4htmf1ju

    Multiple parts are written in 4/4, 3/4, 5/4, 7/8, and "none".

    It's all just loops on repeat, but the 4/4 and 3/4 form a single part that repeats only once every 12 beats, while simultaneously the 3 and 5 together only repeat once every 15, and 20 for the 4 and 5. All three looped at once will only repeat once every 60 beats. I didn't make the song long enough for any combination with the 7 to ever repeat. (The 7/8 comes in immediately after the 4, 3, and 5 synchronize for the first time since the 5 enters.)

    This is what I mean:

    X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
    X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--
    X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----
    A           B  C    D   B     C         D    C  B           A

    At "A", all three voices "intersect", at B, C, and D, only two do.  By chosing relatively prime numerators in the meters, both the duration and chaos within the duration between synchronizations is maximized.  If it was 8/4, 4/4 and 2/4, for example, it would be more like this...

    X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
    X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
    X-------X-------X-------X-------
    A   B   A   B   A   B   A   B

    which is an entirely different effect.

    In my song, I delayed the entry of each part so it wouldn't be boring, so it's more like this:

    X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---X---
        X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--X--
                    X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----X----
        B           A           B  C    D   B     C     B   D    C  B           A

    At which point the 7/8 voice enters.  To show you, I'm having to space everything else apart.

    X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X - - - X etc
    X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X - - X etc
    X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X - - - - X etc
    X------    X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------X------ etc
    *                       B     C         D *     B       *   C         * B       D   *     C     B               *       A

    So yeah, the degree of synchronization pretty well establishes chaos inherent in the distribution of common multiples of prime numbers... and stuff...

    Harmonically, each riff establishes G harmonic minor in a different way, but all together they just come across as a chaotic mess of G-harmonic-minor-ness.  I could add more sections which are similar, except they establish, for example, F-major-ness, or C#-locrian-ness, or even hexatonic-ness.  Ok anyway.


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Tuesday, 30 June 2009

  • Greyface vs Plato

    Inspired by Kyreles. (Do you really realize what you (assumingly accidentally) do to my head sometimes?)

    This section from the Wikipedia entry on Arabesque is nearly identical to the Discordian Curse of Greyface (not to be confused with Xangan (and artist extraordinaire) Curse_of_Greyface):

    Therefore, for most Muslims, the best artwork that can be created by man for use in the Mosque is artwork that displays the underlying order and unity of nature.

    However, the section continues:

    The order and unity of the material world, they believe, is a mere ghostly approximation of the spiritual world, which for many Muslims is the place where the only true reality exists. Discovered geometric forms, therefore, exemplify this perfect reality because God's creation has been obscured by the sins of man.

    Compare to Plato's Realm of the Forms:

    Suppose a person were to make all kinds of figures of gold...—somebody points to one of them and asks what it is. By far the safest and truest answer is [to say] that it is gold; and not to call the triangle or any other figures which are formed in the gold "these" as though they had existence; and the same argument applies to the universal nature which receives all bodies —that must always be called the same; for, while receiving all things, she never departs at all from her own nature, and never...assumes a form like that of any of the things which enter into her; ... But the forms which enter into and go out of her are the likenesses of real existences modelled after their patterns in a wonderful and inexplicable manner.... (Fowett on Plato, as quoted by Wikipedia)

    Do you think that a (not "the") pure, ideal, (possibly nonexistent or unimportant), realm of IDEAS, upon which all objects in the "reality" of perception exist, requires an aestheic congruent with descriptors such as "order and unity"?

    (Reading list: The Curse of Greyface via The Principia Discordia, The Curse of Greyface via Hyperdiscordia, and Discordianism via Wikipedia of course, Plato's Republic, especially The Allegory of the Cave, (or the Wikipedia articles if you're lazy (or Platonic Realism in general), and possibly (although I cetainly haven't) The Whole Fucking Qur'an.  If you require inspiration concerning the necessity of such a realm, try the writings of Zeno, or, if you've already read Lewis Carroll (or Newton (I mean Lebnitz (depending on who you ask))), Parmenides, or even spiritualists who describe the Maya or whatever else for a more general argument.  Also Gödel should be somewhere in here...)

    Friedrich Nietzsche, the anti-Plato, if there is one, of course, believes that "one must have chaos within oneself, to give birth to a dancing star".

    (Wait... the arabesque, the most ubiquitous pose in ballet, shares it's name with the artform that is, according to Islam, a Bastion of Order, yet the reflection of True Order in Reality via Islam is equivalent to the philosophy of Plato, whose opposite, Nietzsche, equates dance with Chaos.  I'm suddenly remided of Zeno.)

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Sunday, 28 June 2009

  • Darths and Droids

    Anyone here familiar with DM of the Rings? It's a webcomic that is screenshots of Lord of the Rings recaptioned--as if it were a tabletop role-playing game a la Dungeons and Dragons.  It's kind of Big on the Internet.

    Anyway, the Comic Irregulars, who consist of David Morgan-mar, the author of Irregular Webcomic!, and some of his cow orkers, are doing the same thing with the Star Wars trilogies, and calling it Darths and Droids.  Their goal is to substatially change the story in many points, but sometimes it just isn't possible.  They did succeed in making Jar Jar a likeable character, and turned Qui-Gon Jinn into a bumbling oaf, but in terms of plot, they've really only added a MacGuffin and some sidequests that the characters talk about but never get around to doing.

    Anyway, the comic was "good" but not "genius" until the most recent two strips, in my opinion.




    All I can really say is that the GM of this campaign is the best ever.

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Monday, 22 June 2009

  • QC

    I heart Questionable Content.  Jeph (sometimes) subtly namedrops bands, and he and I have very similar musical tastes.  We're pretty much post-rock snobs, and then expand post-rock in several directions until you reach other related genres that seem unrelated to each other.

    Basically, you end up with indie pop, like The Flaming Lips, and death metal, like In Flames.  (You see what I did there with the "flame" in the band names, lolol.)

    The Postal Service, Opeth, Regina Spektor, Mastadon, etc.

    (And of course put the /actual/ post-rock and math-rock in there, so Slint and everyone they've ever influenced.)

    Anyway, I'm thinking about doing a post-series expounding the virtues of every band subtly mentioned in the strip, starting from day one.  That would be lols.

    Here's an example for how "subtle" it can be.





    See this here?
    qc

    Check out Giraffes! Giraffes?.  Really bouncy and silly math-rock band.

  • Yay improv

    The other night Ch made me improv something, here it is.

    http://www.mediafire.com/?ymgc2x1emly


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Wednesday, 17 June 2009

  • Bread bread bread!

    This is the most delicious bread I've ever tasted.

    IMG_5154

    IMG_5156

    I used
    2-3 cups whole wheat flour
    1 cup oat flour
    1 cup quinoa flour
    6 tsp vital wheat gluten
    2 tbsp brown rice protein
    1 pkg yeast
    8 or 9 globs of honey
    8 or 9 globs of molasses
    Extra honey and molasses drizzled on top
    2 tbsp turbinado
    1 tsp baking powder
    a few shakes of salt

    It's a wee bit crumbly because I was too lazy to wait for it to cool to take it out of the pan.
    Also it's a little too beery because I let it proof too long.

    In any case, I've gotten to the skill level that I can just bullshit a bread recipe.

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  • OMG Chela joined Xanga.  Take it from me, she's rad.

    http://kyreles.xanga.com/

  • Visit anaraug's Xanga Site
    • Name: Wa|ker
    • Country: United States
    • State: Louisiana
    • Metro: New Orleans
    • Birthday: 4/26/1987
    • Gender: Male
    • Member Since: 5/20/2004
    • True
  • The world is a mess and I just need to rule it.
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