Mmmmm+Microtonality

=Mmmmm Microtonality=

Cairn Riney
Aaaah, the wonders of microtonality. Dating back to the beginnings of Hinduism, microtonal music has been a central part of Indian culture. Through the ages it has spread to other cultures and found origins in many other parts of the world. Other cultures that use microtonal scales include Indonesian, Thai, Burmese and African (see wiki page for a more detailed history.) The term microtonal is described as "very small intervals but can include any tuning that differs from the western 12 tone equal temperament." Each tone is called a microtone and is less than the western equally spaced semitone. The number of microtones in an octave can also differ, for example the Carnatic system uses 22 and Indonesian gamelan music uses 7. The intervals between microtones can be smaller or greater than the semitone. These intervals have been coined micro-intervals and macro-intervals. Tuning systems that we are all more familiar with, like just intonation or meantone, can be considered microtonal.

**Example of Microtonal notation**


//Quarter-tone accidentals residing outside the Western semitone: half-sharp, sharp, sharp-and-a-half; half-flat, flat, flat-and-a-half, another variant of flat-and-a-half//

The articles listed for this subject date back to the 1920s (with some dabbling in the 60s and 80s) and seemed to have been written by western minded folks. The "quarter-tone" system seems to amaze Ives, he was obviously living in the western bubble of equal temperament. The quarter tone system divides the semitone in half, making a more expanded version of equal temperament. This was used especially in the earlier parts of the century, before any electronic music, because of the limitations of physical instruments. Since the creation of electronic music with the help of the computer and other technologies, microtonal music has become easier and more complex. The topic and definition of microtonality seems to have most relevance to composers and musicians of European traditions considering the widespread use of microtonalism in many world cultures. With the creation of technology there is now a free flow of information and understanding of cultural musics and tuning systems. Now, this can be thought of as positive or negative. Positive in that knowledge is being passed on and spread. Negative in that cultural appropriation of that knowledge can lead to the demise of authenticity and create mass standarization.

But anywho, let get onto perception of microtonality. Common research of microtonality includes the effect of the tuning's deviation on the listener's evaluations and if performers can get used to it. For example, research done sometime in 2006 by Dept of Electronics & Electrical Engineering and Centre for Music Technology, University of Glasgow and the Centre for Music Technology, University of Glasgow used software to train performers to a 19 equal microtonal scale. The software listened and provided feedback to the performers on how they were doing. There were four musicians for the research who performed pieces prepared for voice, clarinet and keyboard. (The keyboard was re-tuned). This research was prepared in hopes that the performers would increase their capacities to think and perform microtonally. Sadly, they released no final data. :(

Modern composers that use(d) microtonality include ye ole John Cage,, Boulez, Xenakis, Terry Riley, and even Claude Debussy.

Thus is a small overview of microtonality, check out the websites for more in depth discussion of definitions, history, perception and usage!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtonal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_Music

http://www.music.mcgill.ca/~gary/courses/cm/15/scales.html

http://209.85.173.132/search?q=cache:Bf1oVA1xtH0J:www.psychology.stir.ac.uk/staff/squinn/documents/3rdScottishPerceptionMeetingAbstractbooklet.doc+perception+of+microtonality&cd=9&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us&client=firefox-a

http://www.untwelve.org/what.html