Microtones notation legenda

7/30/2019 Microtones notation legenda

1/4

Microtonal NotationGuidelines booklet

Osvaldo Glieca MMXIII

[email protected]


2/4

Microtonal Notation

&

This is my standard notation for quarter tones, the enharmonic equivalent stand as the doubleflat it is the semi sharp equivalent of the preceding note, as well as the double sharp it is theequivalent semi flat of the following note.

It is advisable to follow a general rule of using sharp signs only when asceding and flat signsonly when discending and trying to keep the sight-reading as clear as possible.

I have personally found more practical to call them as flat and semi-flat and as sharp anddouble-sharp or eventually semi-sharp and double flat and to avoid the terminology ofone quarter tone or three quarter tones that make the conversation rather complicated.

enharmonicequivalent

b Bb


B

...and so on

#

&enharmonicequivalent



...and so on

# B # B

B B b Bb B b Bb B b


3/4

Afterword

The microtonal explorations in the last century have not reached an accepted prac-

tice, and, as composers are still looking ahead in the twenty-first century, there is

not a clear answer for this.

Microtonality is still present as an open agenda for two main reasons: firstly the dia-

tonic and dodecaphonic systems have exhausted the composers sensibility finding

in microtonality a new expressive source, secondly the presence of micro-tonal mu-

sic in the traditional world music is pushing composers to build and devise accept-

able theories and system to organize microtones. It is inevitable to ignore this har-

monic expansion in the future as some composers find themselves of being strong

supporters while others have a moderate point of view. Some composers actually

think that microtonality can be the only salvation of traditional dodecaphony, diaton-

icism or whatever system they think of. Also, microtonality has been present alter-

natively since the middle ages, but yet not able to find a clear harmonic territory

until the present time.

Without shadow of doubt microtonality it is still an open business and it is unclear tosee how and in which degree it will be present in our music in the future. Between

all the theories applied the most reasonable is the division of 24 tones, which is

based on the equal temperament with the subsequent net division of their tones.

This added factors will obviously enrich the harmonic language with a great expan-

sion, this eventuality will create an interesting resource as it will be possible to build

customized systems to control the tones hierarchies. It will be somehow possibleeven to reintroduce tonality in the old sense with 24 possible different keys, or re-

build new theories to organize specific tones to renovate the whole harmonic palette

as some spectralist composers experimented during the ealry 1970s.

Osvaldo Glieca24 June 2011


4/4

Microtones notation legenda

Documents

Transcript of Microtones notation legenda