17

(109 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Homie it's not about whether or not you are a fan of jazz, you gotta understand it has a system that is nearly universally accepted. So work with it. That's what the whole thread has been about.

As for music notation and your other question - you may  use the key signature for C natural minor (3 flats). All pitch classes (note, regardless of octave) are assumed to have an accidental as marked in the key signature unless otherwise marked. So 3 flats - Bb, Eb, and Ab, would be marked. D# and G# are to be read as their enharmonic equivolents to minimize the use of accidentals. However, B natural will need to be compensated for by using an accidental for every instance of it due to the nature of how keysignatures work.

18

(109 replies, posted in General Discussion)

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:
jangler wrote:

Roman numerals aren't used for scale degrees, they're used for chord functions

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Degree_ … umbers.png

jangler wrote:

In fact a C13 chord contains all of the tones of a Gmin7 chord

C13 = C, A#, D, F, A

Gmin7 = G, A#, E, F

Gmin7 is G, A#, D, F bro

19

(109 replies, posted in General Discussion)

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Fair enough. They are real chords. Big, huge piano chords...Lol. Some of them are not possible in tracker arp commands because they go above 3 or 4 notes (depending on which trackers arp commands you use). Some of them go beyond F semitones but I'll write the intervals in hex anyway for brevity and relevance to tracking.

This is wrong. What Protodome gave you is likely a reduction of the chords. These notes could appear at any time in any combination so long as it still feels like one chord is being played.

And here's my background - I'm about to get my degree in music composition and go to gradschool for it. So let me try to break this down since I have a lot of tracker experience as well as jazz composition and arranging experience.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

C6/9 - C, E, A, D - 0, 4, 9, E

C13 - C, A#, E, A - 0, A, 10, 9

FMaj9#11 - F, G, B, C - 0, 2, 6, 7

Bb11 - A#, D, F, G#, C, D# - 0, 4, 7, A, E, 11

Fm13 - F, G#, C, D, D# - 0, 3, 7, 9, A (for this one I don't see how "/Bb" applies).

Okay. This is where stuff starts to get wrong. Already. Omitting chord tones from your breakdown of each chord is unfair and shows a lack of care for the original composition (if there was one). If this was straight from, say, a Protodome track, these notes would be present across any of the voices (bass, pads, leads, embellishments and arp flourishes). Not condensed to one fat arp in Milkytracker or whatever. Some of these notes would be merely in passing at first glance, but the emphasis and/or repetition of them establishes that they are indeed part of the chord in a tune. Of course, this is still a chord progression you are wanting to pick apart, not a full easy-to-refer-to song.

As for the last chord, Bb11 (A#11 for those of you in tracker land) functioning as a Fm13/Bb (or A#), that is correct. You actually spelled it out for us. I'm gonna rearrange the pitch classes a bit in your breakdown here.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Bb11 -  A#, F, G#, C, D, D#
Fm13 -       F, G#, C, D, D#

"(Bb11 is performing the role of an Fm13/Bb)." As said by Protodome in the previous thread.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

I don't ever write any flats. I only use sharps.
Also I dont use the roman numeral scale degrees.
Yeah, cant be bothered with that. I'm a tracker guy, not a pianist.
That was a nice exercise.

Okay. Problem number 2. The whole western world is still using scale degrees and the Roman numeral system. It works just fine with trackers too. That's part of why using a transposition macro/effect works. The other part is the interpretation of pitch as interval sizes based on a given note (tonic). It's extremely common in atonal music and some music by living composers in the classical world. When you tried to break down the chord tones you assumed the voicing and intervals between the tones. Roman numerals and lead sheet style chords do not make such assumptions unless it's explicitly spelled, you often have to refer to the notated music itself to see if there's something funny going on. Fearofdark's breakdown in his post is great.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Now what scales / key signatures!!! do each of those chords fit into?:

C6/9 - C, E, A, D - 0, 4, 9, E...

(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : YES)
(C Lydian C, D, E, F#, G, A, B : YES)
(C Pentatonic Major C, D, E, G, A : YES)

C13 - C, A#, E, A - 0, A, 10, 9...

(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : NO)
(C Mixolydian C, D, E, F, G, A, A# : YES)
(G Dorian G, A, A#, C, D, E, F : YES)

FMaj9#11 - F, G, B, C - 0, 2, 6, 7

(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : YES)
(F Lydian F, G, A, B, C, D, E : YES)
(F Pentatonic Major F, G, A, C, D : NO)

Bb11 - A#, D, F, G#, C, D# - 0, 4, 7, A, E, 11

(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : NO)
(F Dorian F, G, G#, A#, C, D, D# : YES)
(F Pentatonic minor F, G#, A#, C, D# : NO)
(Bb / A# Lydian A#, C, D, E, F, G, A : NO)

Fm13(/Bb???) - F, G#, C, D, D# - 0, 3, 7, 9, A

(Bb / A# Lydian A#, C, D, E, F, G, A : NO)

Here you assume that these few scales are the only ones that fit. In jazz, different scales can work with the same chord, acting as a sort of "best fit line", and even when the "line" doesn't quite "fit" you're still able to make a rad pattern across them that is uniquely yours based off of scales you (un)knowingly play. These happy accidents are why some young jazzers get their start, or folks can sit at a piano and slay it from a theory perspective.

Also, as you add notes in jazz, you can twist a chord into something it wasn't originally.
So, to deal with your breakdown above:

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

C13 - C, A#, E, A - 0, A, 10, 9...
(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : NO)

C major scale works in a C13 because the lowered 7th (Bb or A# to tracker folks) can easily be used in passing between A and B, or to go Bb -> B -> C. Also, the C major scale works because with C13 you can also omit the Bb/graze past it and rock the A natural minor scale since it shares the same pitch classes as C major. The A is often very present in the C13 in most situations, and if it isn't, throwing it in the bass can make your C13 some sort of Am13(and then some).

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

FMaj9#11 -          F, G, B, C - 0, 2, 6, 7
(F Pentatonic Major F, G, A, C, D : NO)

If you feel the need to dispute the functionality of pentatonic scales in a this chord, I think I know where the rest of this is going. The A and the D in the pentatonic scale are important because they fill the roles of a 13th (D) and the 3rd (A) in the Fmaj9#11 chord, even though one may naturally omit those notes. This gives extra room for enforcing the F major/aspect of it all, contrary to the raised 11. And that's just for this particular suggested scale.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Bb11 - A#, D, F, G#, C, D# - 0, 4, 7, A, E, 11

(C Major C, D, E, F, G, A, B : NO)
(F Pentatonic minor F, G#, A#, C, D# : NO)
(Bb / A# Lydian A#, C, D, E, F, G, A : NO)

C major and Bb Lydian work because they embody the pitches from the previous chord and generally stick to the "key" of the chord progression. They only differ from the Bb11's pitch collection by 1 or 2 accidentals. You really put yourself in a corner with saying F pentatonic minor doesn't fit. Tell me, which pitch classes are different? I'll even rearrange them for you.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Bb11 -                  F, G#, A#, C, D#, D
(F Pentatonic minor F, G#, A#, C, D# : NO)

All of the pitches in the F pentatonic minor scale are present in Bb11, but not all the pitches in the Bb11 chord are present in the F pentatonic minor scale.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Fm13(/Bb???) - F, G#, C, D, D# - 0, 3, 7, 9, A
(Bb / A# Lydian A#, C, D, E, F, G, A : NO)

Ah. We don't have to discuss this since you botched the understanding of it the first time. There's no great need to dissect this since Fm13 is the implied sort of value, but the chord is just Bb11.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

In the end, out of 14, you got 8 correct and 6 incorrect.
You were still 57.14% correct.

I'd imagine you may want to make your rebuttal based on the fact that you used the word 'emphatically' in one of your examples...but a few of these were quite far off, and so you are 'emphatically' WRONG. haha...

Actually, out of the suggested scales he suggested all work. 14/14, 100% correct. Because he knows what he's talking about. Also, when you said he was 57.14% correct, does that account for every note in every chord versus the scale, or just your reductions? I'm trying to follow here, but every scale he listed works fine for the chord in an applied composition or performance.

JaffaCakeMexica wrote:

Another thing.
In response to your declaration:

"C13: ... (you can treat this as a Gmin7)."

C13 = C, A#, D, F, A
Gm7 = G, A#, D, F

Why would you treat C13 as Gm7? It makes no sense, sorry.

Nevertheless, you chose some very interesting chords here.

Uh it works because the A# and D in the C13 chord are dissonant and somewhat removed from C, the F and A being less dissonant. The Gm7+9 can harmonically contain all of this "non-C" content, so omitting the A because it's whatever, you are left with the Gm7 chord, a dominant. This is why in jazz you see [TONIC PITCH CLASS HERE]13 used as a dominant. It's the easiest substitute - add the 5th if it isn't in the voicing, drop the tonic (which is implied throughout tonal music anyways since everything is measured intervalically from the tonic), and you have a true minor 7 chord.

Protodome wrote:

"Seriously dude, go learn some music theory" - protodome

I couldn't agree more. There are many perspectives to music, many backgrounds. You can't slap a few scales on a chord and say what does or doesn't line up. It's not about that, especially trying to apply classical analysis to jazz. It's not that you can't do it, but that it's not fair to either school of thought. In addition, check your own work. Keys are near-meaningless in tracker music - it's computed like atonal music is - arps are all relative to 0 (base note), sharps are always, flats are omitted, etc. Trying to force tracker format into the foundation for your argument about what scales fit what chord is baseless - it's not in a musical context at all, it's an abstraction or reduction.

Try playing an instrument, even your qwerty keyboard in something like Famitracker or Ableton, and noodle over some chord progressions. You don't have to be a musician to understand this. It's not about BEING a musician or a tracker guy or whatever. Understand that music is based on how things are related to each other. The possibilities for that are almost endless. You don't have to go to music school to figure it out, either. You could buy a toy piano, a busted trumpet, or actively listen to and transcribe music. But comparing scales to chords and trying to win an argument on the internet will not further your knowledge, just hold you back from it.

20

(6 replies, posted in General Discussion)

/thread

deadpanrobot wrote:
MaxDolensky wrote:

Shipping to the UK I'd generally ask for an extra $5 on small items, $10 on larger to offset extra costs.

I have 2 or 3 broken DMGs (bad button readings, some not responding to presses or they are mismatched), screens work fine, may have a glob of solder here or there. CPU PCBs have some sort of damage to diodes for the buttons. I have 2x RGBx3 backlights, 2x GBA_AMP v3 boards, 1 set of clear silicon buttons, and a full set of Justin Thursday's RGB button PCB kit (all buttons). Well worth the price, I'd hope.

So:

3 x DMG LCD PCBs that work fine.
3 x Damaged DMG CPU PCBs.
2 x KB RGBx3
2 x GBA AMP V3
1 x clear buttons
1 x full thursday customs RGB buttons

Right?

And you'e sold one of the AGS101's - what colour is the tab on the connector? white or black?

Correct, and the tabs are both white.

Shipping to the UK I'd generally ask for an extra $5 on small items, $10 on larger to offset extra costs.

I have 2 or 3 broken DMGs (bad button readings, some not responding to presses or they are mismatched), screens work fine, may have a glob of solder here or there. CPU PCBs have some sort of damage to diodes for the buttons. I have 2x RGBx3 backlights, 2x GBA_AMP v3 boards, 1 set of clear silicon buttons, and a full set of Justin Thursday's RGB button PCB kit (all buttons). Well worth the price, I'd hope.

Hopping off the chiptune hype train. Still gonna be friends with you guys and check out releases and stuff.

Up for grabs, all prices include shipping in continental US.
$80 Black Gameboy Micro (yes black black) w/charger SOLD
$80 pristine condition Suicune edition GBA SOLD
$40 each, I have 2 AGS 101 screens, can throw you a free 32 or 40 pin cable (also have 1 of each) for GBA mods, 1 SOLD OTHER SOLD
$45 nanoloop 2.7.9 cart with nanoloop USB adapter SOLD
$150 OBO Korg KM 402 mixer (fixed the RCA issue)
$25 Pokemon Emerald Version
$15 Pokemon Blue version SOLD
$300 Lenovo Y510P laptop with no HDD, has NVidia GT775M card, 8GB RAM, quad core i7 CPU. Comes with charger and some chiptune stickers on the top. SOLD
$120 BennVenn carts and flasher, 2x GB 256M carts, 2x GBA carts, 1x v3 flasher. Bundle only. ON HOLD
$60 collection of broken clear DMGs, working RGBx3 backlights, RGBbacklight buttons kit (full set). SOLD
$70 backlit (green for now, can change upon request) clear DMG with clear silicon buttons, RGBx3 backlight, and rare unreleased Kitschbent GB AMP board. SOLD
$60 custom Justin Thursday Arduinoboy built into NES controller with full DIN MIDI ports, DMG and GBA connectors. Will include DMG and GBA link cables. SOLD
$90 Native Instruments Traktor Z1 MIDI controller/sound card, includes power adapter and USB cables
Make me an offer: Celebi edition GBA, no screen, broken back battery cover tab. SOLD

Hit me up here or anywhere else. smile

I remember trading one of you (Rob?) a Nomad years ago for a custom DMG and being very happy with it (amp PCB issues be damned). Glad to hear about the new direction. Will you also possibly release/host any documents or notes you made for certain products? Asking because knowledge about GB hardware and development is spread pretty thin online.

25

(24 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Apeshit wrote:

april fools is early.

fixed.

26

(8 replies, posted in General Discussion)

Demo version that plays the songs os free to distribute, like with the Drag'n'derps.

MultiROM menu too? smile

28

(6 replies, posted in Trading Post)

Thanks Carl! I'll look into it, since I have some extra extra gear to sell I'll probably get a Pioneer mixer as I start to build up my CDJ setup this summer.

29

(6 replies, posted in Trading Post)

Jazzmarazz wrote:

idk what a "DJ mixer" is, but I have a Korg KM 202 that I have no use for. It is a little beaten up but snesei showed me that it works. tongue
I have another mixer with more channels and basic attenuation/gain knobs which is all I will ever need probably so the 202 is just collecting dust.

I bought one of those on ebay just last week and it came busted. I'm thinking about replacing it with another 202 but also contemplating buying a higher end mixer for DJing with CDJs as well. What would you be willing to part with it for (not including shipping)?

30

(6 replies, posted in Trading Post)

Either a 2 or 4 channel mixer. Hit me up with offers, open to a lot of brands and models, just not digging the prices I am finding for things on ebay.

2.0 and 3.0 families can both do USB MIDI, the 3.0 line specifically can also act as USB MIDI host as I stated in my previous post.

MK2 does not work very well with devices and code for "legacy" Launchpad models like the mini, S, or original model. Certain common messages or sysex commands will cause the MK2 and Pro to freeze (a terrible move on Novation's part, nukes any sort of backwards compatibility). I have a copy of the programming guide on my dropbox for some personal projects https://www.dropbox.com/s/o6dyimr3zzl0p … e.pdf?dl=0

MK2 and Pro are cool, would be neat to see support for them as well. I personally own a MK2 but have owned 2 original models and 2 S's in the past.

freezedream wrote:
radian wrote:

Will a Teensey work for 2 ?

Unfortunately I don't think the Arduino code is compatible with the Teensy, so I don't think so.

On the contrary, most of the code should work pretty easily. Also, the Teensy 3.0+ models support USB hosting in addition to native USB MIDI functionality. If anything, the Teensy 3.0-3.2 family would have been the easier, cheaper, and smaller board for this hack. Not to mention it would leave room for easy implementation of PC connectivity/DAW clock sync.