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| **[[Temperament naming]] | | **[[Temperament naming]] |
| **[[Scale naming]] | | **[[Scale naming]] |
| | *'''[[User talk:Mousemambo/Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology|Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology]]'''. Near complete as of 2023-Sep-05. Might be worth moving to the wiki mainspace. |
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| ==Practical tuning for beginners pages== | | ==Practical tuning for beginners pages== |
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| == Xenharmonic music: An introduction to 21st century tuning systems == | | == Xenharmonic music: An introduction to 21st century tuning systems == |
| Current draft title: '''[[User:Mousemambo/Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology|Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology]]'''
| | This project has been moved to its own draft page, with the title "[[User talk:Mousemambo/Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology|Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology]]." |
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| This page introduces xenharmonic music theory through the terminology used by its practitioners. This outline of links can be used as a self-guided introductory course through the [[Main Page|Xenharmonic Wiki]] for beginners interested in understanding, playing or composing microtonal or [[xenharmonic music]].
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| Although it consists only of links, the outline is intentionally ordered to help guide people new to this subject toward a growing conceptual understanding. The purpose is to open one doorway (among many possible others) to answering the question "How can I begin learning about xenharmonic music?" Other doorways include [[Listen|listening]] to or [[Instruments|playing]] music.
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| This course overlaps and extends from a prerequisite of Music Theory 101, a ubiquitous first-semester college course whose material is also commonly taught to high school piano, guitar and jazz musicians. There are several excellent free online comprehensive textbooks teaching conventional Music Theory 101 ([https://musictheory.pugetsound.edu/mt21c/MusicTheory.html Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom], [https://viva.pressbooks.pub/openmusictheory/ Open Music Theory], [https://www.8notes.com/theory/ Music Theory]). If you work through at least the first half of one of those comprehensive courses, many of the links below to Wikipedia articles will be redundant, but you may prefer the Wikipedia route.
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| '''Using this introduction'''
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| This course begins by reintroducing some basic music theory terms but in a xenharmonic context. That may mean they have unusual definitions, or that they're explained in a way that points toward how they're understood and used in xenharmonic musicology and music. If there is corresponding English Wikipedia page, a link is provided here to help contrast the xenharmonic perspective with the one more commonly taught in conventional music theory. However, some Wikipedia pages were created with a partly or entirely xenharmonic perspective (e.g. [[Wikipedia:Regular diatonic tuning|Regular diatonic tuning]]).
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| This course draws a somewhat arbitrary line between "beginner" material that is included, and "intermediate" material that is not. A guideline for that distinction is that the material presented might fit within a one-semester college course. People who already have significant xenharmonic theory understanding may feel this course remains too superficial, and that much more could be added to the "Tuning system analysis and design" section (possibly a few items could be added). Unfortunately, hardly any standard introductions to music theory go deeply enough into tuning systems and temperament to provide enough of a foundation for exploring xenharmonic music theory. Therefore, this course recapitulates many introductory topics but from a xenharmonic perspective.
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| Some of the articles offered in this outline start with useful introductory material but then go deeper than the level intended by this course. In these cases, readers are encouraged to use their judgement as they read to decide when a useful depth of understanding has been reached, and then return to this outline. Revisiting deeper material later is always possible! However, at the time of this writing (Sept. 2023) some of the Xen Wiki articles lack much of a basic introduction at all (i.e. one without college math). In those cases, if there is a Wikipedia link provided you're encouraged to visit there. But one reason for developing this outline is to identify and remedy those articles, so perhaps by the time you read this some helpful wiki editors will have addressed the problem.
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| '''Other doorways to understanding'''
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| Although there is no "listening guide" for this course, you will find links to YouTube videos that provide some of that valuable experience. But note that links in the "Articles" and "Videos" sections are related and supporting, but outside the flow of the course. If you play or wish to learn an [[Instruments|musical instrument capable of microtonality,]] you may find opportunities to play as you progress here.
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| Finally, some people prefer to "learn microtonal music" mostly by listening to music, so this outline will probably not be useful for them. That's OK! There are [[Listen|other resources]] for you. For many of us, though, a progressive structure like this outline is very helpful.
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| === Foundations ===
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| *What is [[Xenharmonic music|microtonal or xenharmonic music]]? Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Microtonal music|Microtonal music]].
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| **Scott McCormick. [https://blog.discmakers.com/2017/08/microtones-the-notes-between-the-notes/ Microtones: the notes between the notes].
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| **[[User:SyntheticThought|Michael W. Dean]]. [https://producelikeapro.com/blog/getting-started-making-microtonal-music/ Making microtonal music is easier than you’d think]. Also [[Making Microtonal Music is Easier Than You’d Think|archived at the Xen wiki]].
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| **Dave Tremblay. [https://www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2016/10/18/beyond-the-veil-behold-the-xenharmonic-or-understanding-microtonal-music/ Beyond the veil: Behold the xenharmonic, or, understanding microtonal music].
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| **Philip Mantione. [https://theproaudiofiles.com/microtones/ Intro to microtonality (+ Interview with Brendan Byrnes)].
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| **[[Misconceptions about xenharmony]]
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| **[[Kyle Gann]]. [https://www.kylegann.com/AntiJI.html Combatting anti-just-intonation propaganda].
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| **Kyle Gann. [https://www.kylegann.com/JIreasons.html My idiosyncratic reasons for using just intonation].
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| **[[What is microtonal music]]
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| **[[Why microtonality|Why microtonality?]] And some [[:Category:Why microtonality?|responses]].
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| *[[Glossary]]
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| *[[Interval]] and [[Interval region]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Interval (music)|Interval (music)]].
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| *[[Ratio]] and [[Interval size measure]]
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| *[[Harmonic series]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Harmonic series (music)|Harmonic series (music)]].
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| *[[Scale]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Scale (music)|Scale (music)]].
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| **[[Mode]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Mode (music)|Mode (music)]].
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| **Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Limit (music)|Limit (music)]].
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| **[[Scale naming]]
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| **[[5L 2s]] (aka [[Diatonic]]). Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale|Diatonic scale]] and [[Wikipedia:Regular diatonic tuning|Regular diatonic tuning]].
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| **[[MOS scale]] (Moment of Symmetry)
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| **[[Mosstep]] & [[Mosdegree]]
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| **[[Periods and generators]]
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| **[[Equave]] (aka [[Equivalence interval]]), contrast with [[Period]] and [[Periodic scale]].
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| *[[Tonic]]
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| *Videos
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| **[[Brendan Byrnes]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pn2FIQ2Ps94 Microtonal Music Tutorial (Xenharmonic)]. YouTube.
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| **[[Dolores Catherino|dolomuse]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVKIXCH-5gE PolyChromatic Music Theory]. YouTube.
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| **[[Hear Between The Lines]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atbhMjD4PjM You've never heard (of) these chords]. YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DB2aHGW45fY Tuning Theory 0: A Primer ("Microtonal" Theory)]. YouTube.
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| **TEDx Talks. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfJbS5jPiOk Polychromatic music | Dolores Catherino | TEDxSacramento]. YouTube.
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| **[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL65EDA7FBA5F8A3CF Learn about microtonal music]. YouTube (300+ videos playlist).
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| === Tuning systems and temperament ===
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| *[[Tuning system]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Musical tuning#Tuning systems|Musical tuning § Tuning systems]].
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| *[[3-limit]] & [[5-limit]]
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| *[[Just intonation]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Just intonation|Just intonation]].
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| *[[Comma]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Comma (music)|Comma]].
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| **[[Pythagorean comma]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Pythagorean comma|Pythagorean comma]].
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| **[[81/80]] (aka, Ptolemaic comma). Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Syntonic comma|Syntonic comma]].
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| *[[Temperament]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Musical temperament|Musical temperament]].
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| **[[Equal temperament]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Equal temperament|Equal temperament]].
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| **[[Equal-step tuning]]
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| **[[Regular temperament]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Regular temperament|Regular temperament]].
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| **[[Linear temperament]]
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| **[[Support]]
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| **[[Tempering out]]
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| **[[Temperament naming]]
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| **[[Temperament families and clans]]
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| *Notable historical and common tuning systems
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| **[[Pythagorean tuning]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Pythagorean tuning|Pythagorean tuning]].
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| **[[Meantone family]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Meantone temperament|Meantone temperament]].
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| ***Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Ptolemy's intense diatonic scale|Ptolemy's intense diatonic scale]].
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| ***[[Quarter-comma meantone]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Quarter-comma meantone|Quarter-comma meantone]].
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| **[[12edo]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:12 equal temperament|12 equal temperament]].
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| **
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| *Articles
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| **[[Kyle Gann]]. [https://www.kylegann.com/tuning.html Just intonation explained].
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| **[[Kyle Gann]]. [https://www.kylegann.com/histune.html An introduction to historical tunings].
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| **Pierre Lewis. [https://leware.net/temper/temper.htm Understanding temperaments].
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| **Chris Morda. [https://microtonal-guitar.com/tutorial/microtonal-guitar-tutorial-overview/ Microtonal guitar tutorial overview].
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| **[[Margo Schulter]]. [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth.html Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony].
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| ** [[Tall Kite]]. [https://www.tallkite.com/AlternativeTunings.html Alternative tunings: Theory, notation and practice].
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| **[[Paul Erlich]]. [[:File:MiddlePath2015.pdf|A middle path between just intonation and the equal temperaments]].
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| **[[Links#Educational websites|Links § Educational websites]]
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| *Videos
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| **Alice M. Chuaqui Baldwin. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=309gNT_72Nc Meantone Temperament and Other Historical Tuning Systems, Part 2]. YouTube.
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| **Classical Nerd. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylgHkauUuCQ&t=364s Tuning: An Introduction]. YouTube.
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| **Early Music Sources. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R75unSXKJXQ Tuning and Temperaments in the Renaissance - PART I]. YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7YRYm-trAs Tuning Theory 1: Just Intonation ("Microtonal" Theory)]. YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZoAuVgndmbU Tuning Theory 2: Temperament ("Microtonal" Theory)]. YouTube.
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| **[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwqQHbKonTU Xotla Music. Intro To Microtonal Terminology]. YouTube.
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| === Tuning system analysis and design ===
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| *[[Tuning system design]]. A needed article explaining some of the (sometimes conflicting) qualities that make a tuning system attractive, e.g. many consonant intervals, attractive harmonies, easy modulation to other keys, similarity to existing popular tunings, etc. Some possible qualities:
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| **Correspondence to the [[harmonic series]], especially the fifth and/or third. Harmonic sounds are perceived by humans as more sonorous, in part due to harmonic blending.
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| **Includes many close-to-harmonic fifths among intervals of the scale's (or possible scale in the tuning) notes.
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| **Is an [[EDO]] with the useful properties of those (modulation is relatively easy, for example).
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| **Is a [[MOS scale]] (many scales that people have found attractive for making music happen to be MOS scales).
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| **Has enough corresponding scale degrees with 12edo that it is possible to compose in it using music theoretic understanding from Common Practice theory (e.g. [[19edo]]).
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| **Is an EDO close enough to a popular temperament to substitute for it, e.g. [[19edo]] for [[1/3-comma meantone]].
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| **Has few enough pitches per [[equave]] that there's no need to select a subset for mapping to standard piano format controllers.
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| **A tonal quality, or set of available tonal qualities, that appeals to the composer and listener.
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| *[[Harmonic lattice diagram]] (aka tuning lattice)
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| *[[Tonality diamond]]. Unfortunately, the current (2023-09-04) Xen Wiki page doesn't present the common meaning of the term, providing instead only some off-putting advanced math. However, it does offer a link to the [[Tonalsoft Encyclopedia]] article for [http://www.tonalsoft.com/enc/t/tonality-diamond.aspx tonality diamond], which is closer to what we really need here but with a simpler and cohesive accompanying explanation for what it is and how its used.
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| *[[Generator]]
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| *[[Monzo]]
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| *[[Val]]
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| *[[Mapping]]
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| *[[TAMNAMS]]
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| *[[Ups and downs notation]]
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| *[[Tour of regular temperaments]]
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| *Notable xenharmonic tuning systems for beginners
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| **[[19edo]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:19 equal temperament|19 equal temperament]].
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| **[[22edo]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:22 equal temperament|22 equal temperament]].
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| **[[24edo]] (aka, quarter tone scale). Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Quarter tone|Quarter tone]].
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| **[[31edo]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:31 equal temperament|31 equal temperament]].
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| **[[53edo]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:53 equal temperament|53 equal temperament]].
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| **[[Porcupine]]
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| **[[Bohlen-Pierce scale]]
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| *[[Harmonic limit]]
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| *Articles
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| **[[Mike Sheiman's Very Easy Scale Building From The Harmonic Series Page]]
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| **Siggy. A Trivial Knot (blog). [https://freethoughtblogs.com/atrivialknot/2022/06/07/xenharmonic-music-theory-part-1-perception-of-microtones/ Xenharmonic music theory part 1: Perception of microtones], part 2: [https://freethoughtblogs.com/atrivialknot/2022/06/13/xenharmonic-music-theory-part-2-dissonance-theory/ Dissonance Theory], part 3: [https://freethoughtblogs.com/atrivialknot/2022/06/16/xenharmonic-music-theory-part-3-tuning-theory/ Tuning theory]
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| **[[Kraig Grady]]. [http://anaphoria.com/wilsonintroMOS.html Introduction to Erv Wilson's moments of symmetry].
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| **[[Dave Keenan & Douglas Blumeyer's guide to RTT: introductions]]
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| **[[Mike's lectures on regular temperament theory]]
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| **[[User:Aura/Aura's Music Theory: Introduction|Aura's music theory: Introduction]]
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| *Videos
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| **12tone. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWG6CGKMnNA How Many Notes Are There? The Theory of Quarter Tones]. YouTube.
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| **[[HEHEHE I AM A SUPAHSTAR SAGA]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLha3CFvr8SzwlDpGL9MrJcoN8xOHyowsw Exploring 19-TET]. YouTube (7 videos playlist)
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwOdsHc4h7s Tuning Theory 3: Moment of Symmetry ("Microtonal" Theory)]. YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6mkyAtwrcw Porcupine Temperament Tutorial (Microtonal/Xenharmonic theory)]. YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJkd6gdT1H0 Bohlen-Pierce Temperament Tutorial (Microtonal Theory)]. YouTube.
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| **[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hginh_dGJLU Making microtonal scales with Scale Workshop]. YouTube.
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| **Sketching_Fox. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fCxdvMHNCA 22 TET Music Theory: Tone Sizes]. YouTube.
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| **uethanian. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZ7WbmhCsqs 19 tone equal temperament]. youTube.
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| === Xenharmonic harmony ===
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| *[[Dyad]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Dyad (music)|Dyad (music)]].
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| *[[Interval quality]]
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| *[[Consonance and dissonance]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Consonance and dissonance|Consonance and dissonance]].
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| *[[Diatonic functional harmony]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Function (music)|Function (music)]].
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| *[[Just intonation harmony]] (or [[Harmony in just intonation]]). This needed article would present an introduction to creating harmony in just intonation (JI) tunings. It introduces ideas and strategies for harmony that also apply to other uneven tunings, and provides a foundation for understanding more extended xenharmonic harmonization. It should emphasize the important explicit and implicit harmonic qualities of arpeggiation, counterpoint, and dyadic harmony in JI and other non-regular tunings. Some ideas to include...
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| **In ancient music, "pure" tunings based on lower harmonic series overtones (e.g. Pythagorean, aka 3-limit) were understood to mostly support only limited dyadic harmony, because few intervals in any purely JI tuning were considered acceptably consonant. Singing and playing in unison was typical. Interval table analysis of an example 3-limit JI tuning (see table; to be added) reveals how many of that tunings' dyadic intervals are unusable for harmony. Triads that are consonant — by traditional measure — are unavailable in ancient JI tunings.
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| **However, many traditional cultural musics successfully integrated dyadic harmony, e.g. ancient Greek music and its early European descendants, traditional Middle Eastern music, traditional classical Chinese music, and some traditional African music. The commitment to 3-limit tunings of this time was essentially ideological, reinforced by the strong human tendency to hear unfamiliar tunings as "wrong."
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| **The expansion of JI tunings from 3-limit (Pythagorean) to 5-limit (e.g. Ptolemaic) increased the number of intervals considered consonant, and therefore the harmonic possibilities in these tunings. Although options for triadic harmony were still limited compared to later developments, the strongly consonant Ptolemaic just major triad and some other consonant triads became available. Nevertheless, harmony through the European Medieval period remained mostly limited to fifths and fourths in parallel motion, with some experimentation.
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| **Melodic arpeggiation, ostinato, and the introduction of early basso continuo accompaniment, provided composers with a conceptual doorway to more sophisticated harmonic ideas in early European JI music, without the more obvious dissonance of nearby-pitched notes sounded simultaneously. The developing popularity of counterpoint in Medieval melody also encouraged considering more complex harmony.
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| **Subsequently, the abandonment of pure intonation for newly developed [[Wikipedia:Meantone temperament|meantone temperaments]] in European Renaissance music greatly enlarged the set of acceptably consonant intervals (e.g. [[Wikipedia:List_of_meantone_intervals|List of meantone intervals]]), while listeners also became more accepting of less pure intervals as consonant (continuing into the 20th century [[Wikipedia:Emancipation of the dissonance|Emancipation of the dissonance]]). This allowed expansion and exploration of triadic and larger harmonies. These tempered tunings also permitted some key modulation on fixed-pitch instruments like piano.
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| **Some contemporary composers have been rediscovering the attractive tonality of pure harmony and its deeply consonant quality. People only familiar with the advantages of ubiquitous equal temperament may initially find composing in just intonation is notably constrained because many intervals are unavailable due to dissonance, reducing its harmonic possibilities. However, constraints in artistic work can also inspire creative solutions. One of the charms of composing in a new tuning system is learning what works well in it, and expresses its tonality with enough beauty that the listener doesn't realize what the composer has worked to avoid. It's also worth considering that humans have composed music in just intonation for thousands of years, although nearly all of it has been lost.
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| *[[Dyadic chord]]
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| *Articles
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| **[[Margo Schulter]]. Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony § [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth5.html Pythagorean tuning and Gothic polyphony].
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| **[[User:Aura/Aura's Ideas on Functional Harmony|Aura's Ideas on functional harmony]]
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| **[[User:FloraC/Analysis on the 13-limit just intonation space: episode ii#Chapter VI. Overview on Functional Harmony|FloraC's Overview on functional harmony]]
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| *Videos
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| **[[Zhea Erose|Zheanna Erose]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cv-nuSjbY4 31-EDO Music Theory: Basic Triads]. YouTube.
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| **[[Zhea Erose|Zheanna Erose]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_xKo8B4Fu4 Rare Chords: Min11⇂13 (harmony in 31-edo)]. YouTube.
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| **[[Hear Between The Lines]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCEfg8WyDFI How to use microtones to harmonise? | Ep. 3]. YouTube.
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| **Quartertone Harmony. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6WJryxB_0Y Harmonic Functions of Quartertones]. YouTube.
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| **Listening In. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTDHylJZMXU Jacob Collier: Moon River - Harmonic Analysis]. YouTube.
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| **Lumi - Music & Theory. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfFAHCNMF-M What Makes Gleam Great? - Microtonal Music Analysis]. YouTube.
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| **mannfishh. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJfAVSVgaSI Microtonal Comma Chords and an Explanation of 5-Limit Just Tuning Lattices]. YouTube.
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| **Levi McClain. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Bi6bO-MCCo What If We Had 31 Notes Instead of 12?] YouTube.
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| **[[John Moriarty]]. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt_r-oaUxxM 31-Tone Meantone Tutorial]. YouTube.
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| ==Elements of good Xenharmonic Wiki article writing== | | ==Elements of good Xenharmonic Wiki article writing== |