Creating an Accessible Microtonal System
Date
2022-01-28
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Abstract
The purpose of this research is to devise a theoretical system with an alternate division of the octave that includes all the necessary material such that a performer or composer could utilize this system efficiently and intuitively. For the purposes of this project, the system will be applied to the cello, as its rich timbre and continuous pitch control make it an optimal choice. While there has been significant research in the field of microtonality and octave division, the field is extremely widespread and therefore difficult to unify, and subsequently difficult to transfer knowledge intuitively. This is in large part due to the fact that the theory and notation behind this previous research typically involves bending the current western system to fit the purposes of a new system, rather than creating a bespoke theoretical and notational system optimized for its own purpose. For the purposes of this research, the octave will be divided into sixteen equal steps. A principal reason for this choice is that this division will preserve the traditional minor third, an interval musicians will already be familiar with, and divides it into four parts rather than its usual four, a technique I have adapted from musician Jacob Collier. Included in this complete system is a manual for the instruction of a potential user, which includes a theoretical exploration of the octave in sixteen divisions, instructions on how to prepare the cello, and novel notation for writing the pitches. The manual also includes etudes to aid a performer in learning the system. To further aid, recordings of the etudes are also included, as well as a patch in the Max software capable of realizing pitches within the octave of sixteen divisions.
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Microtonal
Citation
Iafelice, J. E. J. (2022). Creating an Accessible Microtonal System (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.