Traditional Hopi Songs - online book

Native American Songs With Sheet Music, Notation & Commentary

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	THE PHONOGRAPHIC METHOD	49
	BATTERY 6 (150 AMPERES) August 5, 9.45 a. M. I adjusted the instrument to 167 revolutions, and a few minutes later on another count found the rate the same. During the no­tation of Shiashtasha, Singer No. 1, the rate rose in perhaps half an hour to 169. I then set it at 168, and taking the rate at the end of each staff of the notation thereafter, no change whatever from this figure revealed itself. I concluded thenceforth to adopt this latter method of keeping track of the variations of the phonograph ; viz., to examine and record its rate at the end of each staff of the notation. This amounted to taking note of it about every twelve or fifteen minutes, a period during which the experiments with the tuning-fork had indicated that under normal conditions the vari­ation would not be apt to amount to more than about one twenty-fifth of a tone. I carried out this plan for all the rest of the songs, and have written the rates found in the notations at the points where they were taken. In the account which follows they are given diagrammatically. Each horizontal line signifies one revolution per minute, the equivalent (at these rates) of a twen­tieth of a tone. The spaces between the vertical lines signify periods generally something less than fifteen minutes.
	On returning to work at 4.50 p. m. the rate was at first 166; a few minutes later, 167. At this rate I began the notation of Shiashtasha, Singer No. 2, but was unable to complete it that day. August 6, 10.25 A. m. The instrument began at 177 revolutions. To complete the notation of Shiashtasha, Singer No. 2, I set it at 167 and from this time until the work was finished, a period of two hours and a half, it ran continuously. The rates of the complete notation were as follows: —
	August 7,10.30 a. M. The instrument began at 165, and of six counts made during the hour and a half required for noting Anoshkaey sung by Lesma but one (165 + ) varied at all from this figure.