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Permalink Reply by Wichita Sam on September 11, 2009 at 1:37am

"45 or so notes to the .... octave".... sounds like my slide playing...hehehehehehehe

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Permalink Reply by Will Carter on September 11, 2009 at 1:50am

Actually its supposed to be 43 notes - commonly called the partch scale (thanks wiki) so now I know it is like dividing a fretboard into 43 frets per octave. More research needed - check out the instrument "BAZANTAR" it is Amazing!!!!!
Check out this link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=crSi9IxPfYA

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Permalink Reply by Brian Lemin on September 11, 2009 at 2:28am

You got a slide you have them all, the problem is that "western" ears find it hard to pitch them. I spent a lot of my youth in Sri Lanka with all that kind of music. When I sang the local songs with the rest of the guys( Sri Lankans) i was fine, when I tried to sing them solo they just laughed at me!

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Permalink Reply by HENRY LOWMAN on September 11, 2009 at 4:12am

Google "MICROTONALGUITAR.COM" to see where I got some of my inspiration. Unlike fretless guitars, which also deal in microtones (of course, since one is working with an untempered scale), here one is working with tempered musical scales. The idea is to open up new musical possibilities in both single note playing as well as chord structure. Writing for this type of musical system is another challenge altogether!

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Permalink Reply by Diydc on September 11, 2009 at 4:27am

If you intend using frets, you should maybe consider making them movable, as the tonal scale varies from rag to rag, thus determining which notes are dominant to the piece you are playing. hence the sitar has moveable frets.....

Good luck with your project, this could be a difficult one.

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Permalink Reply by Will Carter on September 11, 2009 at 6:56am

OK - Thanks guys I am now on the right track. Possibly the most complicated project ever.
I have seen an indian instrument recently with the movable frets but hadnt thought of it so cheers!

To westernize the process a little I will attempt to overlay two different scale lengths..perhaps X and (X-1/2 the distance to the first fret)

Now which two to use? Any ideas nationites?

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Permalink Reply by Mortimer Snerd on September 11, 2009 at 7:30am

I have enough problems with 21 frets.

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Permalink Reply by Brian Lemin on September 11, 2009 at 5:56pm

Look up "Lute Fretting" on Google.

The lutenists tie their gut/nylon frets in a good manner

Diydc said:

If you intend using frets, you should maybe consider making them movable, as the tonal scale varies from rag to rag, thus determining which notes are dominant to the piece you are playing. hence the sitar has moveable frets.....

Good luck with your project, this could be a difficult one.

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