Pocket Gamelan: a J2ME environment for just intonation

This paper describes on-going exploration of tuning systems through development of mobile instruments appropriate for tlie audition and performance of music composed in just intonatIon tunmgs. 1he project is a response to a transformation in computer music brought about through the introduction of wireless technologies and is motivated by a desire to enable performance of music based on just intonation using hand-held instruments played by large numbers of non-expert players. Handheld technology offers the promise of new forms of musical interaction between people with development of musical applications focused on new modes of group expression that involve non-expert performance. The project seeks to take advantage of the global availability of this technology yet retain a tuning vocabulary that represents the legacy of many musical epochs and traditions ..