Susanne Fürniss

An interactive experimental method for the determination of musical scales in oral cultures

The contrapuntal vocal polyphony of the Aka Pygmies is based on a pentatonic scale but the nature of this scale is difficult to determine by ear. To overcome this problem and to circumvent difficulties of articulating such abstract concepts as musical scales which, for the Aka, are not subject to verbalisation, a method based on the use of a synthesiser was conceived and applied in a series of experiments among the Pygmies. In these experiments, polyphonic music of their own culture was simulated with different underlying scale models and submitted to their cultural judgment. This method was shown not only to cope with the initial problem but also to provoke a series of non-verbal interactions that open new dimensions for the study of cognitive aspects of musical systems in oral traditions.