Kite Guitar originals
The following songs have been composed for the Kite Guitar. To search for a certain song, artist or translator, use control-F in your browser. All tabs are for a guitar tuned in downmajor 3rds, unless otherwise noted. See Kite Guitar Chord Shapes (downmajor tuning) for reference on fingerings, inversions, etc.
Actual compositions are on separate xenwiki pages, grouped by composer. if you have any compositions, feel free to create your own page and link to it here! To keep this page current, please copy the table of contents from your page and paste it here (see this page for help).
By Kite Giedraitis
- 1 Evening Rondo
- 2 Underground Revolution
- 3 I Hear Numbers
- 4 Sweet Sweet Harmony (barbershop tag)
- 5 Downminor Etude
- 6 Blues in G
- 7 The Relative Song
- 8 The Tri-sub song
- 9 The Walking Song
- 10 II-V-I riff in A downmajor
- 11 Latrizo Pump riff
- 12 6-chord riff
- 13 V9 - I7 riff
- 14 Im7 - V7 riff
- 15 Fun riff
- 16 Mid-9th riff
- 17 James-Bond-ish riff
- 18 Downminor riff
By Praveen Venkataramana
How to read the scores
A crash course for non-guitarists.
Notes and intervals
The octave is divided into 41 equal steps, a tuning called 41-equal or 41edo or 41-ET or 41-TET. Whereas 12-equal has 100¢ steps, 41-equal has steps of 29.27¢. We can round this off to 30¢ for convenience, since a cent or two doesn't matter much in practice. This 30¢ interval is called an arrow, because the little arrows by the noteheads raise or lower the pitch by 30¢. Notes are called up-E, down-F-sharp, etc., written ^E and vF#. A note that has no ups or downs is called plain. The 7 plain natural notes are close to 12-equal, but they do deviate slightly. The pattern is easy to see when the notes are arranged in chain-of-5ths order:
| Ab | Eb | Bb | F | C | G | D | A | E | B | F# | C# | G# |
| -15¢ | -12.5¢ | -10¢ | -7.5¢ | -5¢ | -2.5¢ | 0¢ | +2.5¢ | +5¢ | +7.5¢ | +10¢ | +12.5¢ | +15¢ |
All the notes with sharps are extra-sharp. All the notes with flats are extra-flat. Note that G# is sharper than Ab by one arrow. Thus G# is also ^Ab, and Ab is also vG#. (Likewise C# = ^Db, vD# = Eb, etc.)
Let's use that 30¢ figure to find some pitches.
- D is 0¢, so ^D is 30¢ sharp and vD is 30¢ flat
- Bb is -10¢, so ^Bb is +20¢
- C is -5¢, so vC is -35¢
Intervals also use arrows. D is 0¢ and E is +5¢. This tells us that a major 2nd is 205¢, so an upmajor 2nd is 235¢.
These charts show the notes and intervals of 12-equal as a circle of 5ths.
But in 41-equal, G# ≠ Ab, the circle of fifths opens up into a spiral. Because this spiral is really a circle of 41 fifths, the innermost and outermost few notes are duplicates. In the 2nd chart, "-ish" means ±1 arrow.
In the tables and charts above, D is the anchor note that agrees with standard tuning exactly. D is an ideal anchor because it makes the table symmetrical. But C, G, A and E have also been used.
Sometimes double arrows are needed. ^^C is called dup-C and vvC# is called dud-C-sharp (rhymes with cup and cud). Note that ^^C = vvC#. One more equivalence: ^^C = vDb. Thus 3 arrows = a minor 2nd. These equivalences are useful, because if you've already found vDb on your instrument, and you see ^^C or vvC# on the score, you know what to play.
- 1 arrow = half a fret = a quarter-sharp or quarter-flat
- 2 arrows = 1 fret = half a sharp/flat
- 3 arrows = 1.5 frets = a minor 2nd
- 4 arrows = 2 frets = 1 sharp/flat = an augmented unison
Since a minor 2nd and an augmented unison add up to a major 2nd, there are 7 arrows from C to D. In this table, the plain notes are bolded.
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | ^C | ^^C = vvC# | vC# | C# | ^C# | ^^C# | |
| vvDb | vDb | Db | ^Db | ^^Db = vvD | vD | D |
The interval from C# to Db is a diminished 2nd. Since this interval is 0¢ in 12-equal, musicians don't think about it much. But in 41-equal, a diminished 2nd is actually -30¢, and a descending dim 2nd = 1 arrow.
So how exactly would a vocalist or violinist or trombonist tune a precise number of cents sharp or flat? It helps to borrow a Kite guitar and familiarize oneself with the sound of the various intervals. It also helps to understand just intonation. See the "What it is -- long explanation" page for an overview.
In practice, use the ups and downs as a rough guide, then listen to the other parts and try to blend. For example, the downmajor 3rd from D to vF# is 380¢, very close to the just intonation 5/4 of 386¢. So one simply flattens the 12-equal F# until the interference beats go away. But wait, should the 3rd be 380¢ or 386¢? In general, deviating slightly from 41-equal is fine, if it makes the chord smoother. The just harmonic 7th is only 3¢ sharp of the 41-equal downminor 7th, so such deviation is even less of an issue.
Of course, not all composers use simple JI ratios in their harmonies!
This table lists all the notes and intervals. There are 7 versions of every scale degree. 3 major versions, 3 minor versions, and a mid version midway between major and minor (e.g. ~2). The 7 fourths overlap with the 7 fifths, making 4 tritones. There are only 3 versions of the octave. Just like the notes, most intervals have alternate names. A few are shown here, e.g. aug unisons and aug 5ths. 11 basic frequency ratios are shown. There are 8 familiar ones that should "lock" right away, and 3 others (7/6, 7/5 and 7/4) that will lock with a little practice. There are many more ratios, enough to fill the whole column!
| 41-equal note | tuning | interval from D | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | D | +0¢ | 1sns | P1 | ^d2 | 1/1 |
| ^D | D | +29¢ | ^1 | vvm2 | ||
| ^^D / vvD# / vEb | Eb | -41¢ | 2nds | vm2 | ^^1 / vvA1 | |
| vD# / Eb | Eb | -12¢ | m2 | vA1 | ||
| D# / ^Eb | Eb | +17¢ | ^m2 | A1 | ||
| ^D# / ^^Eb / vvE | Eb | +46¢ | ~2 | ^A1 | ||
| vE | E | -24¢ | vM2 | |||
| E | E | +5¢ | M2 | |||
| ^E / vvF | E | +34¢ | ^M2 | |||
| ^^E / vF | F | -37¢ | 3rds | vm3 | 7/6 | |
| F | F | -7¢ | m3 | |||
| ^F | F | +22¢ | ^m3 | 6/5 | ||
| ^^F / vvF# / vGb | F# | -49¢ | ~3 | |||
| vF# / Gb | F# | -20¢ | vM3 | 5/4 | ||
| #F / ^Gb | F# | +10¢ | M3 | |||
| ^F# / ^^Gb / vvG | F# | +39¢ | ^M3 | |||
| vG | G | -32¢ | 4ths | v4 | ||
| G | G | -2¢ | P4 | 4/3 | ||
| ^G | G | +27¢ | ^4 | |||
| ^^G / vvG# / vAb | G# | -44¢ | tri-tones | ~4 / vd5 | ||
| vG# / Ab | G# | -15¢ | vA4 / d5 | 7/5 | ||
| #G / ^Ab | G# | +15¢ | A4 / ^d5 | |||
| ^G# / ^^Ab / vvA | G# | +44¢ | ^A4 / ~5 | |||
| vA | A | -27¢ | 5ths | v5 | ||
| A | A | +2¢ | P5 | 3/2 | ||
| ^A | A | +32¢ | ^5 | |||
| ^^A / vvA# / vBb | Bb | -39¢ | 6ths | vm6 | ^^5 / vvA5 | |
| vA# / Bb | Bb | -10¢ | m6 | vA5 | ||
| A# / ^Bb | Bb | +20¢ | ^m6 | A5 | 8/5 | |
| ^A# / ^^Bb / vvB | Bb | +49¢ | ~6 | ^A5 | ||
| vB | B | -22¢ | vM6 | 5/3 | ||
| B | B | +7¢ | M6 | |||
| ^B / vvC | B | +37¢ | ^M6 | |||
| ^^B / vC | C | -34¢ | 7ths | vm7 | 7/4 | |
| C | C | -5¢ | m7 | |||
| ^C | C | +24¢ | ^m7 | |||
| ^^C / vvC# / vDb | C# | -46¢ | ~7 | |||
| vC# / Db | C# | -17¢ | vM7 | |||
| #C / ^Db | C# | +12¢ | M7 | |||
| ^C# / ^^Db / vvD | C# | +41¢ | ^M7 | |||
| vD | D | -29¢ | 8ves | v8 | ||
| D | D | +0¢ | P8 | 2/1 | ||
See also: Ups and downs notation
Scales and key signatures
Any scale without arrows is just as one would expect. D minor is still D E F G A Bb C D. Adding up or down to the scale name alters the 3rd, 6th and 7th. Thus D upminor is D E ^F G A ^Bb ^C D. If the tonic has an up or down, it's added to every note: vD upminor = vD vE F vG vA Bb C vD. The key signature is divided into two regions. The sharp/flat region is as usual, except it can also have ## and bb. The arrow region consists of up to two stacks, a quadruple stack for the tonic, 2nd 4th and 5th, and a triple stack for the 3rd, 6th and 7th. Both stacks always have the exact same shape. The lowest arrow in the quadruple stack always indicates the tonic. The triple stack's lowest arrow indicates the 3rd, and its highest arrow indicates the 7th. Thus it's quite easy to deduce the tonic. Note that C downmajor and vA upminor have different key signatures.
TO DO: complete the table
| D | up-D | down-D | |
|---|---|---|---|
| plain major | D E F# G A B C# D | ^D ^E ^F# ^G ^A ^B ^C# ^D | vD vE vF# vG vA vB vC# vD |
| downmajor | D E vF# G A vB vC# D | ^D ^E F# ^G ^A B C# ^D | vD vE vvF# vG vA vvB vvC# vD |
| plain minor | D E F G A Bb C D | ^D ^E ^F ^G ^A ^Bb ^C ^D | vD vE vF vG vA vBb vC vD |
| upminor | D E ^F G A ^Bb ^C D | ^D ^E ^^F ^G ^A ^^Bb ^^C ^D | vD vE F vG vA Bb C vD |
| plain major | downmajor | plain minor | upminor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| D | C D E F G A B C | C D vE F G vA vB C | C D Eb F G Ab Bb C | C D ^Eb F G ^Ab ^Bb C |
| up-D | ^C ^D ^E ^F ^G ^A ^B ^C | ^C ^D E ^F ^G A B ^C | ^C ^D ^Eb ^F ^G ^Ab ^Bb ^C | ^C ^D ^^Eb ^F ^G ^^Ab ^^Bb ^C |
| down-D | vA vB vC# vD vE vF# vG# vA | 
vA vB vvC# vD vE vvF# vvG# vA |
vA vB vC vD vE vF vG vA | vA vB C vD vE F G vA |
Upmajor and downminor work similarly.
Occasionally key signatures will have double-sharps or double-flats, e.g. vDb upminor = vDb vEb Fb vGb vAb Bbb Cb vDb.
See also: Kite's Thoughts on 41edo Note Names and Key Signatures
Cancelling rules
Arrows behave just like accidentals. If a middle-C on the score has an up, any middle-Cs following it in the same measure inherit that up. Any C in another octave does not. If an up-C is followed by a down-C, the down-arrow cancels the up-arrow.
But what happens when accidentals are mixed with arrows? What if the key signature makes that upped C be sharp? Or what if there is a C with a sharp just before the upped C? Does the up-arrow override or "cancel" the sharp? And what if an upped C is followed by a sharpened C?
There are several possible ways to handle this issue. The default is the simplest way, to explicitly specify both arrows and accidentals every time. Thus any accidental or arrow cancels any previous ones.
| start with
this |
turn it into this | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | ^C | ^^C | C# | ^C# | ^^C# | |
| C | ^♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^C | ♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^^C | ♮ | ^♮ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^^# | |
| ^^C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^# | |
Another approach allows arrows to appear alone. Accidentals cancel arrows, but arrows don't cancel accidentals.
| start with
this |
turn it into this | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | ^C | ^^C | C# | ^C# | ^^C# | |
| C | ^ | ^^ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^C | ♮ | ^^ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^^C | ♮ | ^ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | ^ | ^^ | |
| ^C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^^ | |
| ^^C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | # | ^ | |
A 3rd approach has arrows and accidentals behave independently of each other, and not cancel each other. This approach is always indicated at the top of the score. Consider these 15 versions of D:
| ^^Db | ^^D | ^^D# |
| ^Db | ^D | ^D# |
| Db | D | D# |
| vDb | vD | vD# |
| vvDb | vvD | vvD# |
Adding an accidental moves you sideways. Adding an arrow moves you up or down. Thus a sharpened D followed by a downed D is vD#. This approach requires the plain sign ◇ (mnemonic: it looks like an up and a down fused together), which is analogous to a natural sign.
| start with
this |
turn it into this | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | ^C | ^^C | C# | ^C# | ^^C# | |
| C | ^ | ^^ | # | ^# | ^^# | |
| ^C | ◇ | ^^ | ◇# | # | ^^# | |
| ^^C | ◇ | ^ | ◇# | ^# | # | |
| C# | ♮ | ^♮ | ^^♮ | ^ | ^^ | |
| ^C# | ◇♮ | ♮ | ^^♮ | ◇ | ^^ | |
| ^^C# | ◇♮ | ^♮ | ♮ | ◇ | ^ | |
This approach often minimizes clutter greatly because of how 41edo works. The key of D downmajor has vC#. Of all the various C-naturals, often the most likely one is vC.
See also: Kite's Thoughts on 41edo Note Names and Key Signatures
Chord names
Any chord name without arrows is as expected. Cm7 is still C Eb G Bb. But in practice most chords have arrows in them. An arrow between the chord root and the chord type (e.g. C^m7) raises or lowers the 3rd, and also the 6th, 7th or 11th, if present. Thus C down-seven is the usual C7 chord with the 3rd and 7th downed: Cv7 = C vE G vBb. Mnemonic: every other note of a stacked-3rds chord with a 6th below the root is affected: 6th - root - 3rd - 5th - 7th - 9th - 11th - 13th. Note that the 6th is affected, but the 13th is not.
If the 3rd is downed but the minor 7th is not, the chord is named C-down add7, written Cv,7. The comma before the 7 means "add".
Analogous to M and m, "a" means augmented and "d" means diminished. Thus C^a = C ^E G# and Bvd7 = B vD F vAb. Half-diminished chords are named as dim add7 chords. For example, C ^Eb Gb ^Bb is C updim up-7, written C^d^7.
Alterations are enclosed in parentheses, additions never are. For example Cv(vv#5) is C vE vvG#.
Chord roots often have arrows. The arrows add up and cancel out as expected. Thus vA^m = vA C vE, and vAvm = vA vvC vE.
See also: