The Melodic String-Bean

The Melodic String-bean is a devotional form of music originating in The Equality of Foreknowledges. The rules of the form are applied by composers to produce individual pieces of music which can be performed. The music is played on a diki, three qaqeaq and a okod. The music is melody and rhythm without harmony. The entire performance should feel mysterious, and it is to become louder and louder. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. Chords, seldom-used, are sparse -- intervals and single pitches are favored. It is performed using the ej scale and in the qada rhythm. Throughout, when possible, composers and performers are to play arpeggios.

• The diki always provides the rhythm.
• Each qaqeaq always does the main melody.
• The okod always provides the rhythm.
• The Melodic String-bean has the following structure: a lengthy theme and a series of variations on the theme.
• The theme is fast.
• The series of variations is moderately fast.
• Scales are constructed from twenty-four notes spaced evenly throughout the octave. The tonic note is fixed only at the time of performance. After a scale is constructed, notes are named according to degree. The names are at (spoken at), iadok (iad), poqin (po), oti (ot), nuod (nuo), ojip (oj) and qat (qa).
• The ej pentatonic scale is thought of as two disjoint chords spanning two perfect fourths. These chords are named kotoq and uki.
• The kotoq trichord is the 1st, the 7th and the 11th degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The uki trichord is the 15th, the 19th and the 25th (completing the octave) degrees of the quartertone octave scale.
• The qada rhythm is made from two patterns: the toad (considered the primary) and the jed. The patterns are to be played over the same period of time, concluding together regardless of beat number.
• The toad rhythm is a single line with thirty-two beats divided into four bars in a 8-8-8-8 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x x - - x - x | x - - - x x - - | x - x x x x x x | x`x x x x x x'x |
• where ` marks a beat as early, ' marks a beat as late, x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.
• The jed rhythm is a single line with eight beats divided into four bars in a 2-2-2-2 pattern. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - x | - x | - x | x x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

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