User:Nick Vuci

Intro

Hi! I'm an amateur composer from Toronto, Canada. I discovered microtonality when I was 16 in 2006/7 when my composition instructor showed me the harmonic series justification for common practice harmony ala Rameau, which led me to discover Harry Partch and the old Yahoo mail lists (mostly MMM and Tuning) which I occasionally lurked until they ended. The main tunings I focus on are the Harmonic Series, 24-EDO, 16-EDO, and world scales, and my main inspirations and influences are the standard Western repertoire (especially Palestrina, Buxtehude, Bach, Mozart, and Chopin), Harry Partch, and my more minor influences are Disney music, Balkan folk music, and First Nations drumming (especially Cree and Ojibwe). Though I was trained in violin and piano, I've also spent time studying the erhu and making instruments for the purposes of microtonal composition. Currently I exclusively play retuned electronic keyboards.

Music

Harmonic Series

My most commonly used system is Mode 32 of the Harmonic Series, as it provides a good approximation of 12-EDO as well as being a conceptually simple and powerful overtone scale. As such it has been the most common tuning of my keyboard for many years.

Trio for 12-EDO Bass, Guitar, and Harmonic Series Keyboard

This is the earliest music file I can currently find and it dates from 2016. It was written as a mock up for two of my friends with the intention that we would play it together (them on guitar and bass and me on keyboard tuned to Mode 32). However due to conflicting personal obligations (mostly from me) it was never played live.

First Movement - Quickly

Second Movement- Moderately

Third Movement - Fast

Harmonic Series Soundbath

This work arose from my own desires as a listener. I wanted a minimalistic piece that I could listen to over and over again but which would change a bit each time. Since I'm not smart enough to make one of those ever-changing algorithmic compositions I settled with a fairly simple concept: a series of short pieces that flow into each other, the order of which can be changed randomly without losing any cohesion. The pieces are all organized in an AB form reminiscent of a prelude and fugue with an improvisatory section followed by a strict section, with both sections focusing on the same basic motif. I often put this work on shuffle and repeat and just chill with it in the background. It can be heard on Spotify or Apple Music, among other streaming platforms.

Works in my favourite scale

My favourite scale is something that I've come to call the 4567 Cross-Set Scale (this name was suggested to me by members of the Xenharmonic Alliance Discord, and the term Cross-Set as applied to scales is apparently the invention of Praveen Venkataramana). It's essentially a 4:5:6:7 chord built on each note of a 4:5:6:7 chord. Here are some pieces in this scale:

Prelude and Fugue in 4576 Cross-Set Scale

Piano Quintet in 4567 Cross-Set scale

A saturday morning improv in 4567 Cross-Set made with SynthOne and Garageband

Short ambient piece in 4567 Cross-Set scale with dense harmonies

Random Harmonic Series pieces

Mode 8 improv

Fugue in Mode 12

Soundscape in Mode 13

Lullaby in Mode 14

Mode 32 organ fanfare

Mode 32 passacaglia

Mode 32 miniature "Chase and Hide"

Mode 32 piano loop

Mode 32 synth improv over drone

16-EDO

The majority of music I've made in 16-EDO is in the Mavila[7] scale, and also uses a 16NEJI/128 instead of just 16-EDO. However, I do have one piece that is purely based on 16-EDO with no reference to Mavila at all. It's the following EDM piece, which is actually based on a tone row that uses all pitches AND all intervals of 16-EDO.

16-EDO tone row

Atonal chord progession based on tone row

EDM piece based on tone row and atonal chord progression

An almost canon in 16-EDO

Mavila[7]

Short Melody in 16Mavila[7]

Modal Studies

Here are 7 studies in each mode of Mavila[7]. The studies are each composed of a melody with triadic accompaniment.

Anti-Ionian triadic study

Anti-Dorian triadic study

Anti-Phrygian triadic study

Anti-Lydian triadic study

Anti-Lydian triadic study

Anti-Aeolian triadic study

Anti-Locrian triadic study

Mavila EDM Experiments

I'm not really into EDM or dubstep, but one time I was doing regular long drives with someone who listened to dubstep and it rubbed off on me leading to these 4 tracks being made. I never really did any mixing or mastering before this, and it's something I still need to work on if I ever pursue this type of music again. (It's worth noting that these pieces have been retuned to a 16neji /128, which is practically the same as 16edo but is emotionally appealing to the JI purist deep inside me.)

Anti-Ionian dubstep

Anti-Dorian dubstep

Anti-Lydian dubstep

Anti-Locrian dubstep

Pop-like song with no words in 16 NEJI /128

16NEJI /128 EDM in 7/4 time

16-EDO Piano Works

Prelude in 16-EDO

2-part Invention in 16-EDO

World Scales

These scales come from many places: some are from the Scala Scale Archive, some from Sevish's scale packs, some from random places on the web. What's the same between all of them is that I make music with them from a classical western perspective, and do not try to mimic or emulate any other culture's musical idioms and characteristics.

Ancient Greek Scales

Short piece in Al-Farabi's Mollissimum Ordinatum

Piano impromptu in Al-Farabi's first Greek scale

Yugo Bagpipe Scale

Impromptu in the Yugo Bagpipe scale

"Ajde Jano" in the Yugo Bagpipe scale

String Quartet in Ozan Yarman's JI 'Maqam Hijaz' Scale

DISCLAIMER: this isn't in 'Maqam Hijaz' in a traditional sense. It's a thoroughly Western piece in a JI interpretation of Maqam Hijaz by Ozan Yarman (Which can be found in Sevish's "World Scales" pack). The third movement borrows a Hijaz theme from "Midnight Sun" by Hossein Behroozinia (which is in Dastgah Hoomayoon, Hijaz being a 'melody' of Dastgah Hoomayoon).

Movement 1

Movement 2

Movement 3

24-EDO

Piano Miniatures

This set of short piano pieces is dedicated to my friend Reza Shaffaf. The fourth piece is a reworking of the last movement of my microtonal trio sonata.

24-EDO Piano Miniature 1 "Flutters of the Heart"

24-EDO Piano Miniature 2

24-EDO Piano Miniature 3

24-EDO Piano Miniature 4

Assorted 24-EDO Pieces

24NEJI/128 Overtone Scale Song

Short improv using various MOS and other scales of 24-EDO

Short work examining each mode of Mohajira[7]

Short minimalist prelude focused on 24 Mohajira[7]

Sonatina in Mohajira with harp tuned to JI and with violin playing in 24edo

Lullaby in 24-EDO Mohajira[7]

Pieces in Assorted Tunings

Microtonal Gymnopédies

I noticed that lots of people seemed to find that Erik Satie's famous "Gymnopédies" suitable for microtonal retuning and arrangement. This inspired me to study the 3 pieces Satie wrote, analyze the form, and craft my own set following his lead.

Microtonal Gymnopédie 1 in Mode 12

Microtonal Gymnopédie 2 in 24-EDO

Microtonal Gymnopédie 3 in Al-Farabi's 7th Greek Scale

Assorted pieces

This is where I put pieces that are in tunings I don't use often and have a hard time categorizing on this page.

Short happy fun piece in 10-EDO

Piece in 3 sections, each section focused on different Joan MOS of 11-EDO

Melody in 13-EDO's 33232 scale

Experiment in 13-EDO using the same MOS pattern for both melody, form, and rhythm

Goblin march in 8-EDO iykyk

A short intro in 7 NEJI /13

A short hip hop beat in 19-EDO