Jeff. Yes. Silence here could hint that everyone's off working xenharmonic
wonders, or
it could imply that people weren't going to do anything but talk anyway and now
have
resumed their dreary lives. From the looks of it these are equally probable.

Regarding instrument design. I had a Bart Hopkin book, lost it. Very sad. Was
kind of
hoping the internet was a good place to exchange ideas and get help building
instruments. Obviously not the point of this list, but maybe out there
somewhere.
And do you know where I could find ethnic instruments at obscenely low prices?
(Lower than Lark in the Morning?)

Regarding more "unimportant" stuff like notation. I am straddling your world and
that
of the classical institutions. I hope to lure them in this direction, and to do
so must
speak their language, which also happens to be mine. Or something like that.
I'll
report back in a month regarding my success getting college string players (and
musical sawists) to hit 11-limit intervals. And you can judge from hearing.

Questions for Brian McLaren (and whomever else):

1) Is it more important for microtonal music to get the greatest exposure
possible, or
for microtonal music makers to make as much money as possible? The middle
ground, of course, is having a website that gives away some but not all. Enough
for
those looking just to get some microtonality in their ear ASAP (which is a good
thing,
right?); enough to convince someone that a CD is worth buying. But not enough
to
cheapen the CD or whatever. Like XJ's or Sethares'.

2) Is the Internet any good at all? How does the Internet compare with
libraries for
microtonal education? From my experience: my library has sufficent introductory
texts to get someone thinking (Partch, Moreno, etc.), and as far as CDs go: 1
Wyschnegradsky, 1 Ezra Sims, a few compilation CDs with quartertone pianos and
harpsichords, a few Kronos CDs with some Partch and Johnston...that's it.
Online, I
find enough theory to kill a man, FREE retuning software so I can hear things
for
myself, an applet that bends timbres to scales, applets allowing me to play a
tonality
diamond, a bosquanet lattice, etc., and 11+ hours of free music in various ET,
JI, and
non-octave scales. On top of that the Internet is open 24 hours daily and does
not
charge me $20 when I am one day late returning CDs.

3) Is it a contradiction both to talk and do? You have talked plenty; yet you
claim you
do. Obviously there is some overlap. For me, talk is play, music making is
work. I
confess I have been neglecting work too much of late; therefore I retire from
talking
until I have produced something I am happy with. Goodbye.