Xen tunings for beginners
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This is a quickstart guide. Information on how to start composing or playing can be found here. |
This page is written for beginner musicians to get started with composing with an alternative tuning system with a DAW or physical instrument. Common tunings that are suitable for beginners are presented here. Note that what is considered "suitable for beginners" may vary between musicians, and as such, the tunings listed here may not be considered exhaustive. Nevertheless, it still provides a selection of tuning systems for newcomers to consider and choose from.
Choosing a tuning
First pick a tuning system. Small edos tend to be good choices; some interesting common ones to try are:
Then pick one of the many microtonally-capable DAWs for working with, get familiar with it (if you aren't already) and look up how to retune to your tuning system of choice, or if you want to take a more direct approach, you can try various scales in Scale Workshop online with essentially no set-up required, by using your keyboard as a rough MIDI input. The layout and sound and many other things can be configured in Scale Workshop; check the other tabs!
Then make music and share it! (For example, on the XA Discord.)
Need inspiration? Try listening to music made by others in your tuning system of choice and trying to recreate parts you like. Or try inventing your own scale — one that doesn't sound too familiar to you — and then challenging yourself to compose in it.
Choosing an instrument
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