The mystical ninth note of Antioch is living in my synthesiser...

[theBadger]

It is said that; in ancient times, there were not 8 notes to an octave but 9.

Only the most enlightened and could play the 9th note. Musicians would practice until their fingers bled, often for 20,000 hours or more, to reach the zen like state of enlightenment necessary to be able to play the ninth note.

Ancient texts from the end of the 4th century BC speak of Seleucus, a general in Alexander's army and amateur Cithara player, and his discovery of the ninth note. It was considered so difficult to play and so dangerous that it was taken out onto the plains of what is now Turkey and buried in a pit under an anonymous pile of rocks. Historians believe that any of the unfortunate souls who worked on the project were murdered to protect the location of the site.

Little has been heard of the ninth note except perhaps in Kindergarten music classes where a few innocent four year olds have stumbled across it by accident with tragic results.

Well. It would seem that, after centuries of entombment in a desert pit...


The ninth note has been resurrected and is now living in one of my synthesisers. I have checked the keyboard and there are only 61 keys, arranged in the usual pattern of black and white notes...

...and yet, under certain circumstances, usually in front of a live audience, the ninth note will spontaneously appear and lay beneath one of my fingers in place of the correct note.


It has a curious timbre. Somewhat like a combination of 'incompetence' and ill conceived jazz.


This weekend I am going to take a screwdriver to my keyboard and see if I can remove the damn thing.

tB.

[Audi01]

how cool is that Ace track

[Audi01]

It sounds like a track I might have heard in the early 90s, but it's not one I remember. Reminds me of dancing with lots of happy people