Kite Guitar explanation for non-microtonalists: Difference between revisions
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Getting new sounds on a guitar is easy -- just add new frets anywhere, and you get something new! But getting everything in tune is far harder. So most of this article is about harmonic tuning. It just turns out that by getting enough notes to tune everything accurately, we also get many exciting new sounds "for free". | Getting new sounds on a guitar is easy -- just add new frets anywhere, and you get something new! But getting everything in tune is far harder. So most of this article is about harmonic tuning. It just turns out that by getting enough notes to tune everything accurately, we also get many exciting new sounds "for free". | ||
=== Tuning basics and | === Tuning basics: terminology and harmonics === | ||
First, some terminology: Our standard tuning divides the octave into 12 equal steps, which is called 12-equal or 12-EDO (EDO for "equal divisions of the octave"). Precise tuning is measured in ''cents''. One hundred cents equals one semitone in 12-EDO. For example, a minor 3rd is 3 semitones, or 300¢. | First, some terminology: Our standard tuning divides the octave into 12 equal steps, which is called 12-equal or 12-EDO (EDO for "equal divisions of the octave"). Precise tuning is measured in ''cents''. One hundred cents equals one semitone in 12-EDO. For example, a minor 3rd is 3 semitones, or 300¢. | ||
An absolute musical pitch can be labeled with a precise frequency, e.g. A below middle-C is 220hz. But most musical tones are a combination of multiple frequencies at once | An absolute musical pitch can be labeled with a precise frequency, e.g. A below middle-C is 220hz. But most musical tones are a combination of multiple frequencies at once. A single guitar string may contain A-110 along with A-220, E-330, A-440, etc. In that case, there's a simple pattern: the lowest frequency (also called the "fundamental") and multiples of it. Such a pattern is called a ''harmonic series'', and each of the frequencies are called ''harmonics''. String instruments, wind instruments, and even the human voice all make ''harmonic'' sounds that follow the harmonic series, whereas drums and bells may have other combinations which are ''inharmonic''. Understanding the harmonic series is <u>essential</u> for understanding most microtonal music theory. For more on harmonics, see Andrew Huang's excellent video introduction: https://youtu.be/Wx_kugSemfY and Vi Hart's more in-depth discussion: https://youtu.be/i_0DXxNeaQ0 | ||
== Just Intonation (JI) part 1 == | == Just Intonation (JI) part 1 == | ||