User:Mousemambo/Workbench: Difference between revisions

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== Xenharmonic music: An introduction to 21st century tuning systems ==

~~This outline of links can be used as a self-guided introductory course through the [[Main Page|Xenharmonic Wiki]] for people interested in understanding, playing or composing what~~'~~s termed microtonal or [[xenharmonic music]]. Although it consists only of links to Xen Wiki, Wikipedia, and other articles, it~~'~~s carefully ordered to guide a growing conceptual understanding for people new to the subject. The intention is~~ to ~~help answer the question "Where should I begin learning about~~ xenharmonic music~~?" for those who wish to go deeper than the more introductory texts provided on the Xen Wiki [[Guides]] page.~~

Current draft title: '''Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology'''

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 one of those comprehensive courses, many of the links below to Wikipedia articles will be redundant~~.

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]].

~~This course begins by reintroducing some basic musicology 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]])~~.

Although it consists only of links, the outline is intentionally ordered to help guide a growing conceptual understanding for people new to the subject. The purpose is to open one doorway (among many possible ones) to answering the question "Where should I begin learning about xenharmonic music?" Despite the linearity of an outline format, you are not constrained from jumping ahead and back if you wish.

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 ~~with a xenharmonic perspective~~.

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.

Some of the articles linked to by 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 encourage 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 remedied the problem.

'''Using this introduction'''

~~There is no "listening guide" for this~~ course but ~~you will find links to YouTube videos that provide some of that useful experience~~. ~~But note~~ that ~~links~~ in ~~the "Articles"~~ and ~~"Videos" sections are related~~ and ~~supporting~~, ~~but outside~~ the ~~flow of~~ the ~~course~~.

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]]).

Finally, some people prefer to "learn microtonal music" mostly by listening to music, so this outline will not be useful for them. That's OK! There are [[Listen|other resources]] for you. For many of us, though, a progressive ~~sequence~~ like this outline is how we learn best.

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.

Some of the articles linked to by 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 remedied the problem.

'''Other doorways to understanding'''

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.

Finally, some people prefer to "learn microtonal music" mostly by listening to music, so this outline will 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 how we learn best.

=== Foundations ===

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**[[What is microtonal music]]

**[[Why microtonality|Why microtonality?]] And some [[:Category:Why microtonality?|responses]].

**[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL65EDA7FBA5F8A3CF Learn about microtonal music]. YouTube (playlist).

*[[Glossary]]

*[[Interval]] and [[Interval region]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Interval (music)|Interval (music)]].

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**[[Scale naming]]

**[[5L 2s]] (aka [[Diatonic]]). Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale|Diatonic scale]] and [[Wikipedia:Regular diatonic tuning|Regular diatonic tuning]].

**[[MOS scale|Moment of ~~symmetry (MOS~~)]]

**[[MOS scale]] (Moment of Symmetry)

**[[Mosstep]] & [[Mosdegree]]

**[[Periods and generators]]

**[[Equave]] (aka [[Equivalence interval]]), contrast with [[Period]] and [[Periodic scale]].

*[[Tonic]]

*Videos

**[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL65EDA7FBA5F8A3CF Learn about microtonal music]. YouTube (playlist).

**... more to be added

=== Tuning systems and temperament ===

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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]].

**Has few enough pitches per [[equave]] that there's no need to select a subset for mapping to standard piano format controllers.

**A tonal quality, or set of available tonal qualities, that appeals to the composer and listener.

*[[Harmonic lattice diagram]]

*[[Tonality diamond]]. [Unfortunately, the current (2023-09-04) Xen Wiki page doesn't present the common meaning of he term, providing instead only some off-putting advanced math. It does ~~provide~~ 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 ~~needs~~ a simpler and cohesive accompanying explanation for what it is and how its used.]

*[[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.

*[[Generator]]

*[[Monzo]]

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**[[Mike Sheiman's Very Easy Scale Building From The Harmonic Series Page]]

**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]

**Kraig Grady. [http://anaphoria.com/wilsonintroMOS.html Introduction to Erv Wilson's moments of symmetry].

**[[Kraig Grady]]. [http://anaphoria.com/wilsonintroMOS.html Introduction to Erv Wilson's moments of symmetry].

**[[Dave Keenan & Douglas Blumeyer's guide to RTT: introductions]]

**[[Mike's lectures on regular temperament theory]]

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**[[Harmony of 23edo]]

*Articles

**Margo Schulter. Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony § [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth5.html Pythagorean tuning and Gothic polyphony].

**[[Margo Schulter]]. Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony § [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth5.html Pythagorean tuning and Gothic polyphony].

**[[User:Aura/Aura's Ideas on Functional Harmony|Aura's Ideas on functional harmony]]‎‎

**[[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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==Elements of good Xenharmonic Wiki article writing==

Here is an outline of some ideas about how to make the Xenharmonic Wiki more useful to musicians.

Here is an outline of some ideas about how to make the Xenharmonic Wiki more useful to musicians by improving the article quality.

*'''Introduction to good nonfiction writing (with an emphasis on exposition)'''

@@ Line 73: / Line 73: @@
 == Xenharmonic music: An introduction to 21st century tuning systems ==
-This outline of links can be used as a self-guided introductory course through the [[Main Page|Xenharmonic Wiki]] for people interested in understanding, playing or composing what's termed microtonal or [[xenharmonic music]]. Although it consists only of links to Xen Wiki, Wikipedia, and other articles, it's carefully ordered to guide a growing conceptual understanding for people new to the subject. The intention is to help answer the question "Where should I begin learning about xenharmonic music?" for those who wish to go deeper than the more introductory texts provided on the Xen Wiki [[Guides]] page.
+Current draft title: '''Introduction to xenharmonic music terminology'''
-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 one of those comprehensive courses, many of the links below to Wikipedia articles will be redundant.
+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]].
-This course begins by reintroducing some basic musicology 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]]).
+Although it consists only of links, the outline is intentionally ordered to help guide a growing conceptual understanding for people new to the subject. The purpose is to open one doorway (among many possible ones) to answering the question "Where should I begin learning about xenharmonic music?" Despite the linearity of an outline format, you are not constrained from jumping ahead and back if you wish.
-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 with a xenharmonic perspective.
+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.
-Some of the articles linked to by 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 encourage 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 remedied the problem.
+'''Using this introduction'''
-There is no "listening guide" for this course but you will find links to YouTube videos that provide some of that useful experience. But note that links in the "Articles" and "Videos" sections are related and supporting, but outside the flow of the course.
+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]]).
-Finally, some people prefer to "learn microtonal music" mostly by listening to music, so this outline will not be useful for them. That's OK! There are [[Listen|other resources]] for you. For many of us, though, a progressive sequence like this outline is how we learn best.
+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.
+Some of the articles linked to by 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 remedied the problem.
+'''Other doorways to understanding'''
+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.
+Finally, some people prefer to "learn microtonal music" mostly by listening to music, so this outline will 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 how we learn best.
 === Foundations ===
@@ Line 98: / Line 106: @@
 **[[What is microtonal music]]
 **[[Why microtonality|Why microtonality?]] And some [[:Category:Why microtonality?|responses]].
-**[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL65EDA7FBA5F8A3CF Learn about microtonal music]. YouTube (playlist).
 *[[Glossary]]
 *[[Interval]] and [[Interval region]]. Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Interval (music)|Interval (music)]].
@@ Line 108: / Line 115: @@
 **[[Scale naming]]
 **[[5L 2s]] (aka [[Diatonic]]). Wikipedia: [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale|Diatonic scale]] and [[Wikipedia:Regular diatonic tuning|Regular diatonic tuning]].
-**[[MOS scale|Moment of symmetry (MOS)]]
+**[[MOS scale]] (Moment of Symmetry)
 **[[Mosstep]] & [[Mosdegree]]
 **[[Periods and generators]]
 **[[Equave]] (aka [[Equivalence interval]]), contrast with [[Period]] and [[Periodic scale]].
 *[[Tonic]]
+*Videos
+**[[Sevish]]. [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL65EDA7FBA5F8A3CF Learn about microtonal music]. YouTube (playlist).
+**... more to be added
 === Tuning systems and temperament ===
@@ Line 158: / Line 168: @@
 **Is an EDO close enough to a popular temperament to substitute for it, e.g. [[19edo]] for [[1/3-comma meantone]].
 **Has few enough pitches per [[equave]] that there's no need to select a subset for mapping to standard piano format controllers.
+**A tonal quality, or set of available tonal qualities, that appeals to the composer and listener.
 *[[Harmonic lattice diagram]]
-*[[Tonality diamond]]. [Unfortunately, the current (2023-09-04) Xen Wiki page doesn't present the common meaning of he term, providing instead only some off-putting advanced math. It does provide 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 needs a simpler and cohesive accompanying explanation for what it is and how its used.]
+*[[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.
 *[[Generator]]
 *[[Monzo]]
@@ Line 177: / Line 188: @@
 **[[Mike Sheiman's Very Easy Scale Building From The Harmonic Series Page]]
 **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]
-**Kraig Grady. [http://anaphoria.com/wilsonintroMOS.html Introduction to Erv Wilson's moments of symmetry].
+**[[Kraig Grady]]. [http://anaphoria.com/wilsonintroMOS.html Introduction to Erv Wilson's moments of symmetry].
 **[[Dave Keenan & Douglas Blumeyer's guide to RTT: introductions]]
 **[[Mike's lectures on regular temperament theory]]
@@ Line 202: / Line 213: @@
 **[[Harmony of 23edo]]
 *Articles
-**Margo Schulter. Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony § [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth5.html Pythagorean tuning and Gothic polyphony].
+**[[Margo Schulter]]. Pythagorean tuning and Medieval polyphony § [http://www.medieval.org/emfaq/harmony/pyth5.html Pythagorean tuning and Gothic polyphony].
 **[[User:Aura/Aura's Ideas on Functional Harmony|Aura's Ideas on functional harmony]]‎‎
 **[[User:FloraC/Analysis on the 13-limit just intonation space: episode ii#Chapter VI. Overview on Functional Harmony|FloraC's Overview on functional harmony]]
@@ Line 209: / Line 220: @@
 ==Elements of good Xenharmonic Wiki article writing==
-Here is an outline of some ideas about how to make the Xenharmonic Wiki more useful to musicians.
+Here is an outline of some ideas about how to make the Xenharmonic Wiki more useful to musicians by improving the article quality.
 *'''Introduction to good nonfiction writing (with an emphasis on exposition)'''