User:Nick Vuci

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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, 22-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.

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. 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:

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

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.

EDM piece based on tone row and atonal chord progression

Mavila

Modal Studies

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

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.)

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

16-EDO Piano Works

22-EDO

Chorales

Preludes

Nick Vuci - Porcupine Praeambulum in 22-EDO

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"

Assorted 24-EDO Pieces

Short improv using various MOS and other scales of 24-EDO
Sonatina in Mohajira with harp tuned to JI and with violin playing in 24edo

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

Piano impromptu in Al-Farabi's first Greek scale

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).

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 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.

Piece in 3 sections, each section focused on different Joan MOS of 11-EDO
Experiment in 13-EDO using the same MOS pattern for both melody, form, and rhythm
Fantasy in 36edo written for Alois Haba's sixth-tone harmonium.

Universal Solfege

Interval Class Subcategory Cent Range Solfege IPA
Unison 0 A a
Comma 0-30 O ɒ
Dieses 30-60 Ee i
Second Minor Small 60-80 Sais saɪs
Middle 80-100 Sai saɪ
Large 100-125 Sail saɪl
Neutral Small 125-135 Soos sus
Middle 135-160 Soo su
Large 160-170 Sool sul
Equable Heptatonic 160-182 Ha ha
Major Small 180-200 Says seɪs
Middle 200-220 Say seɪ
Large 220-240 Sayl seɪl
Semifourth (Interseptimal Maj2-min3)      240-260 Fe
Thirds Minor Small 260-280 Thais θaɪs
Middle 280-300 Thai θaɪ
Large 300-330 Thail θaɪl
Neutral Small 330-342 Thoos θus
Middle 342-360 Thoo θu
Large 360-372 Thool θul
Major Small 372-400 Thays θeɪs
Middle 400-423 Thay θeɪ
Large 423-440 Thayl θeɪl
Semisixth (Interseptimal Maj3-4) 440-468 Ke
Fourths Small 468-491 Fos fɔs
Middle 491-505 Fo
Large 505-528 Fol fɔl
Superfourths 528-560 Foo fu
Tritones Small 560-577 Trais traɪs
Middle 577-623 Trai traɪ
Large 623-640 Trail traɪl
Subfifths 640-672 Fu
Fifths Small 640-695 Fis fɪs
Middle 695-709 Fim
Large 709-732 Fil fɪl
Semitenth (Interseptimal 5-min6) 732-760 Te
Sixths Minor Small 760-777 Kais kaɪs
Middle 777-800 Kai kaɪ
Large 800-828 Kail kaɪl
Neutral Small 828-840 Koos kus
Middle 840-858 Koo ku
Large 858-870 Kool kul
Major Small 870-900 Kays keɪs
Middle 900-920 Kay keɪ
Large 920-940 Kayl keɪl
(Semitwelfth Interseptimal Maj6-min7) 940-960 Twe twɛ
Sevenths Minor Small 960-987 Vais vaɪs
Middle 987-1000 Vai vaɪ
Large 1000-1025 Vail vaɪl
Equable heptatonic 1018-1040 Ho
Neutral Small 1030-1043 Voos vus
Middle 1043-1065 Voo vu
Large 1065-1075 Vool vul
Major Small 1075-1100 Vays veɪs
Middle 1100-1120 Vay veɪ
Large 1120-1140 Vayl veɪl
Octave less diesis 1140-1170 Dee di
Octave less comma 1170-1200 Co
Octave 1200 A a