The Prim Phrases

The Prim Phrases is a form of music used to commemorate important events originating in The Unbridled Dale. The form guides musicians during improvised performances. A chanter recites nonsensical words and sounds. The melody has short phrases throughout the form. Only one pitch is ever played at a time. It is performed using the datha scale and in the otoga rhythm. Throughout, when possible, performers are to glide from note to note.

• The chanter always does the main melody and should build as the performance proceeds.
• The Prim Phrases has the following structure: a theme and a series of variations on the theme possibly all repeated.
• The theme is at a hurried pace, and it is to be moderately loud. The chanter's voice stays in the high register. The passage should be performed using legato.
• The series of variations accelerates as it proceeds, and it is to become louder and louder. The chanter's voice stays in the low register.
• Scales are constructed from fifteen notes dividing the octave. In quartertones, their spacing is roughly 1-x-x-x-xx-x-xxxx-xx-x-xO, where 1 is the tonic, O marks the octave and x marks other notes. The tonic note is a fixed tone passed from teacher to student.
• The datha heptatonic scale is constructed by selection of degrees from the fundamental scale. The degrees selected are the 1st, the 3rd, the 6th, the 7th, the 9th, the 10th and the 14th.
• The otoga rhythm is a single line with four beats. The beat is stressed as follows:
• | - - - x |
• where x is a beat, - is silent and | indicates a bar.

Events