This piece uses the concept of individually tuning each chord to Just Intonation, but relative to a note from the last chord, creating a fluid Just Intonation that is free from the base of Equal Temperament. This idea is similar to the way that professional choirs intonate with each other and the resulting pitch drifts, but instead in the context of electronic music.


Acknowledgements:

• Adam Neely for his explanation of “Xenharmony” and concept of tuning an accompaniment to Just Intonation around an equally tempered melody. This is the concept I wanted to take further and break free from Equal Temperament entirely.
- “The 7 Levels of Jazz Harmony” - [ Ссылка ]

• Jacob Collier for his use of subtle microtonality in his music, notably his modulation to G half sharp major in “In the Bleak Midwinter” using Just Intonation to pivot to the new tuning centre, and David Bruce for his deconstruction of this.
- “In the Bleak Midwinter” - [ Ссылка ]
- “How to Modulate to G 1/2 Sharp (Jacob Collier-style)” - [ Ссылка ]

• Jacob Collier’s other concepts of how microtonality can be used in music, including microtonal voice leading (by dividing an interval into differently sized equally spaced intervals), explained throughout interviews with June Lee (who has transcribed many of his works).
- “Interview: Jacob Collier (Part 1)” - [ Ссылка ]
- “Interview: Jacob Collier (Part 2)” - [ Ссылка ]
- “Interview: Jacob Collier (Part 3)” - [ Ссылка ]

• Dolores Catherino and her explanation of the concept of Polychromatic Music, using instruments and harmony that transcend the boundaries of 12-tone Equal Temperament, as well as her ideas for how this music can be notated with colour. Her various compositions using these instruments also inspired this composition.
- “What is Polychromatic Music? - An introduction with comparison of modern microtonal instruments.” - [ Ссылка ]
- “'Toward the Continuum' - 2nd Iteration, Polychromatic composition by Dolores Catherino” - [ Ссылка ]

• Sevish for their creation of the website “sevish.com/scaleworkshop” and tutorials on how to use this, which was used to create the tuning files in order to program the Just Intonation ratios for the software instruments. Their microtonal compositions inspired this composition, which use various divisions per octave, and sometimes unconventional time signatures, in the style of modern electronic music.
- “Using Microtones in Electronic Music (microtonal tutorial)” - [ Ссылка ]
- “Making microtonal scales with Scale Workshop” - [ Ссылка ]
- “Sevish - Gleam (22-tone microtonal 5/4 beat)” - [ Ссылка ]


This piece was composed in 2021 for 2nd year of university.

Listen on SoundCloud: [ Ссылка ]
Purchase sheet music here: [ Ссылка ]
Support my work: [ Ссылка ]

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