as the innovative duo angine de Poitrine embarks on their highly anticipated US tour this week, the guitar community is buzzing with excitement over their groundbreaking microtonal guitar sounds. Alongside the eclectic King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, they are redefining the boundaries of modern guitar playing through the exploration of microtones.
In this article, we will delve into the fascinating world of microtonal music, examining its history, the underlying mathematics, and ultimately gaining a deeper gratitude for why microtonal guitar resonates differently with Western listeners. Prepare to expand your musical horizons beyond the conventional frets of your electric guitar.
By the end of this journey,you will not only grasp some essential music theory but also broaden your understanding of musical possibilities beyond the traditional Western framework.
Understanding Standard tuning
To begin, let’s explore standard tuning on the guitar. Western music is fundamentally structured around the 12-tone equal temperament system (12-TET). You can observe this by playing each note sequentially from the open low E string to the 12th fret. These 12 notes form the backbone of countless pop, rock, blues, funk, and heavy metal tracks.
However, these 12 notes are not the entirety of musical possibilities. They represent the evolution of Western music shaped by the adoption of the 12-TET system, which we will discuss further in the past context.
Just as colors encompass a spectrum, the 12 core tones are merely the primary hues of music, with a multitude of shades existing in between.
To simplify our exploration of the mathematics involved, we will refer to notes in terms of cents rather than frequencies (Hz). If you’ve ever used a guitar tuner,you’re familiar with cents,which measure pitch in smaller increments. Each fret on a guitar represents 100 cents, with a full octave comprising 1,200 cents, and the quarter tones utilized by Angine de poitrine and King Gizzard representing 50 cents each.
Exploring the In-Between Notes
In nature, sound flows continuously rather than being segmented into distinct notes. In theory, there are infinite pitches available to us, though our ability to perceive them is limited. A trained ear can discern approximately 240 unique pitch variations within an octave, achieving an accuracy of about 5 cents. This sensitivity varies across the frequency spectrum, with the human ear being most precise in the midrange.
Microtonal music allows musicians to explore these in-between notes. Artists like Angine de Poitrine and King Gizzard utilize guitars equipped with additional frets to access these smaller intervals, known as quarter tones, which provide them with unique sounds that are challenging to achieve on a standard electric guitar.While a conventional guitar neck features 12 frets per octave, a microtonal guitar can have up to 24.
To illustrate this concept using cents, consider your open guitar string as 0 cents. The 3rd fret would be 300 cents, and the 4th fret would be 400 cents. The quarter tone that lies between them? That’s 350 cents. This note occupies a space between major and minor,sounding unresolved to a Western listener accustomed to the 12-TET system. In contrast, for musicians from Middle Eastern or Indian traditions, these microtonal notes have been integral to their music for centuries.
The Historical Context: The Loss of Microtones in the West
Microtonal music was once the norm rather than the exception. In the early days of human expression, whether through singing, playing bone flutes, or plucking strings made from animal gut, there was no established system of notes. Sound existed naturally, and we simply devised methods to replicate it.
To understand the transition to microtonal music, we must frist examine how Western music evolved into the 12-TET system we recognize today. This involves some mathematical concepts, so prepare to engage your analytical side.
The Pythagorean comma Explained
According to legend, Pythagoras discovered the mathematics of musical tuning around 500 BCE by stretching a string across a wooden block. His invention, known as the monochord, featured a movable bridge, allowing him to divide the string into intervals that produced harmonious sounds.
For a practical example, take your guitar.If you halve any string’s length, you achieve an octave, which corresponds to the 12th fret. Dividing the string into thirds yields the 7th fret, known as the perfect fifth, derived from the remaining two-thirds of the vibrating string. These divisions represent natural acoustic points where harmonics resonate beautifully.
Using Pythagorean tuning, the theory was that stacking 12 perfect fifths would return you to the original note, albeit 7 octaves higher. However, during the Renaissance and Baroque periods, musicians encountered significant tuning challenges when applying pure fifths.
The invention of the keyboard led composers to create intricate harmonies and complex chords on organs and harpsichords. When they attempted to tune these instruments using pure fifths, they often sounded dissonant after a certain point.
Here’s the crux of the issue:
- Ascending 7 octaves: An octave consists of 1,200 cents, so multiplying that by 7 results in 8,400 cents.
- Ascending 12 perfect fifths: A Pythagorean perfect fifth measures 701.955 cents, leading to a total of 8,423.46 cents when multiplied by 12.
This discrepancy of nearly 24 cents-almost a quarter of a fret-is perceptible to most listeners. the mathematical inconsistency arises from the interplay of even and odd numbers, preventing them from aligning perfectly.
This phenomenon is known as the Pythagorean Comma. Tuning an instrument using mathematically perfect fifths will ultimately overshoot the octave, resulting in a dissonant sound. This also impacts the tuning of other intervals, such as thirds. But fear not; humanity will eventually resolve this conundrum over the centuries.
Two Solutions to a Common Problem
As music evolved and became more intricate, musicians faced the challenges of tuning in fifths. Several solutions emerged to address this issue.
India and the 22 Shrutis
Ancient Indian music conceptualized the octave as comprising 22 ’Shrutis’ between 200 BCE and 200 CE, as documented in the Natya Shastra, a foundational text on the performing arts that substantially influenced Indian music’s advancement.
Focusing on stringed instruments, the veena serves as an excellent example of this approach. Unlike Western fretted instruments, the frets on a Veena were not fixed; they were either tied or attached with wax, allowing musicians to adjust them as needed to accommodate the microtones and scales of their compositions.
indian classical music also features another aspect of microtonality: string bending. Western stringed instruments, often made with gut strings, were prone to unpredictable tuning due to their versatility. The low action of historical instruments further intricate accurate string bending.
The frets on a Veena were curved and constructed from metal, enabling players to bend strings into the microtonal spaces between notes. Positioned higher above the neck wood, similar to a scalloped guitar neck, these frets allowed musicians to bend notes by as much as five semitones from a single fret.
For a practical demonstration, check out this video showcasing a ‘meend’ technique on the sitar:
The Arab World and the Maqam
In the Middle East, musicians adopted a distinct approach, leading to the development of the Maqam.This system gradually emerged during the Islamic Golden Age, as scholars translated Greek texts from Pythagoras. Rather than a strict scale, the Maqam serves as a framework guiding musicians on which notes to emphasize and how to phrase sequences, emphasizing improvisation over rigid structure.
Safi al-Din al-Urmawi, an influential Iranian musician, faced similar challenges with the Pythagorean Comma as his Western counterparts. Though, Middle Eastern musicians opted to continue stacking perfect fifths, resulting in a 17-tone system. To navigate these microsteps, they utilized instruments like the oud, which enabled players to access all the necessary notes within this 17-tone framework.
Al-Urmawi’s system redefined the concept of a whole step, breaking it down into three unequal micro-steps. To visualize this on your guitar neck,imagine having 17 frets,each spaced differently-some closer together and others further apart.
These frets would correspond to approximately 90 cents, 90 cents, and 24 cents on a modern guitar neck. This concept persists today in the Baglama (or Saz), a traditional Turkish instrument that significantly influences contemporary microtonal guitar music.
The Oud’s Journey to Europe
To fully grasp the essence of microtonal music,we must also discuss the oud.This ancient instrument dates back to the 8th century and was originally fretless, allowing musicians to perform the Maqams of that era using a 17-tone system. This design enabled players to access microtones and execute techniques like vibrato and slides that closely mimic the human voice.
The oud made its way to Europe during the Moorish occupation of Spain, which began in 711 CE. while European musicians were captivated by the oud, they sought to incorporate polyphony into their music. Anyone who has attempted to play chords on a fretless instrument knows how challenging it can be to maintain proper tuning.
To adapt, they wrapped thick gut strings around the oud’s neck to create frets, facilitating chord playing but sacrificing the instrument’s microtonal capabilities. The name ‘al-‘ud’ was also transformed into the Spanish ‘laud’, the French ‘leut’, and eventually evolved into the english term ‘lute’.
Although the lute gained popularity, its deep body posed challenges for standing players and hindered aggressive strumming.Consequently, instrument makers began to flatten the body and narrow the waist, resulting in a shape more akin to modern acoustic guitars.
This evolution led to the creation of the vihuela and the Baroque guitar.Over time,tied gut frets were replaced with metal ones,and the grouped courses of strings evolved into the six single strings we recognize today.
The 12-TET System Explained
the 12-tone equal temperament system (12-TET) addresses the Pythagorean Comma issue previously mentioned and remains a cornerstone of modern guitar playing. To resolve the discrepancies between perfect fifths and octaves, Western musicians devised a method to divide the octave into 12 equal parts.
This system operates by taking the full 1,200 cents of an octave and dividing it into 12 equal segments. Each fret on your guitar represents a distance of exactly 100 cents from its neighboring fret. While the spacing between frets decreases as you ascend the neck, a rapid measurement with digital calipers will reveal that the distance between the nut and the first fret is halved by the time you reach the 12th and 13th frets.
In this framework, the perfect fifth at the 7th fret corresponds to precisely 700 cents, while Pythagoras’ perfect fifth measures 701.955 cents. This slight 2-cent difference is generally imperceptible to the human ear, making them sound nearly identical. The significant distinction arises when we ascend further; twelve instances of 700 cents total 8,400 cents, aligning our seven octaves and twelve perfect fifths perfectly.
Combining Two Solutions
Returning to the Middle East, musicians recognized that the 17-tone system posed challenges for teaching and was incompatible with the Western music notation that had become the global standard. Consequently, in the 19th century, Arabic music was standardized into 24 equal quarter tones for notation purposes. while the actual notes of maqams still vary by region and performer, the 24-TET system serves as a Western approximation that facilitates interaction between the two musical traditions.
In mid-19th century Europe, Antonio de Torres Jurado revolutionized the Baroque guitar by enlarging its body, adding internal bracing, and introducing a 650mm (25.6″) scale length. The 12-TET system became a permanent fixture in the design of modern guitars, and classical guitars continue to utilize this scale length today.
As the 20th century unfolded,composers began to challenge the established norms once more. Julian Carrillo developed microtonal guitars and harps for his Sonido 13 microtonal music theory. Alois Hába composed microtonal music in Czechia, commissioning a quarter-tone piano for his works. Harry Partch created a 43-tone intonation system and an entire orchestra of instruments to perform it.
The rise of electronic music made it accessible for anyone to experiment with microtones. Wendy Carlos crafted her own non-octave scales, famously featured in the 1986 film ‘Beauty and the Beast’. In Turkey, classical guitarist tolgahan Cogulu invented an adjustable microtonal guitar with sliding frets, allowing for configurations suited to maqams, 24-TET, or any other microtonal tuning.
Microtonal Music in Contemporary Times
Around 2014, Stu Mackenzie from King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard acquired a Turkish Baglama, an instrument that shares a lineage with those used by al-Urmawi in the 1200s. Captivated by its unique sound, he collaborated with a luthier to merge the electric guitar with the baglama, resulting in the innovative Flying Microtonal Banana. The rest of the band retrofitted inexpensive guitars with additional frets, leading to multiple albums crafted within the 24-TET framework.
Angine de Poitrine has taken this concept to new heights. Their double-necked microtonal guitar,paired with a Boss looper pedal and a distinctive aesthetic,has brought microtonal music closer to mainstream recognition.
Interestingly, we find ourselves back where we started. Microtonal music was once the standard; it was categorized and systematized through mathematics, and now contemporary musicians are dismantling those barriers once again.
is this a call to arms for authentic music against the encroaching wave of AI-generated content? or perhaps a rebellion against music that is overly tuned and regimented? It could simply be the natural evolution stemming from the wealth of accessible information and our inherent desire as guitarists to explore new sounds.
Whatever the case may be, this resurgence in popularity may inspire more guitarists to venture into the realm of less conventional sounds that have yet to gain traction in the Western music scene.
Exploring Microtonal Music Techniques
Bending techniques
Bending strings is a technique that should already be part of most guitarists’ skill set. While frequently enough overlooked as microtonal, the blues note or quarter-tone bend has been a defining characteristic of electric guitar for decades.To practice this, engage your guitar tuner and aim for the midpoint between two notes.
Sliding Techniques
Utilizing a guitar slide effectively transforms your instrument into a fretless one.This technique grants you access to every pitch along the string, mirroring the freedom that oud players experience.instead of merely sliding through the frets, focus on landing on the positions between them to infuse your licks with a maqam-inspired essence.
Detuning a Single String
Some resourceful individuals online have discovered that you can perform some of Angine de Poitrine’s compositions on a standard guitar by detuning a couple of strings by a quarter tone. Check out the example video below:
Watch On
Utilizing pitch-Shifting pedals
Pitch-shifting pedals are another innovative tool for guitarists looking to explore microtonal music. These devices allow players to manipulate the pitch of their notes in real-time, enabling them to access microtones that would or else be difficult to achieve on a standard guitar. By adjusting the settings, musicians can create unique sounds that blend traditional and contemporary styles.
Incorporating these techniques and tools into your playing can open up a world of possibilities,allowing you to experiment with microtonal music and expand your musical vocabulary.
Any pitch shifter equipped with a treadle for continuous movement can facilitate the creation of microtones.While not every pitch shifter or octave pedal offers this capability, models such as the Digitech Whammy, the EHX Pitch Fork, and the Boss PS-6 when paired with an expression pedal, can unlock those elusive in-between sounds.
Exploring Microtonal Guitars and Necks
Thanks to the rising popularity of Angine de Poitrine, you can now preorder microtonal guitars directly from the Eastman Guitars website. They also offer necks that can be attached to your existing guitar, as well as a double-necked model reminiscent of the instruments used by the beloved Quebec duo.
Many skilled luthiers can transform a standard guitar into a microtonal instrument by adding new frets between the existing ones. this is how King Gizzard acquired their collection of microtonal guitars, making it an excellent way to breathe new life into an old instrument you may no longer use.
Additionally, custom microtonal necks are available for purchase on Etsy from JLJInstruments.
Essential Microtonal Guitar Tracks
If you’re new to the realm of microtonal music, here are some standout tracks and engaging videos to help you dive in.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Angine de Poitrine
Watch On
Julián Carrillo
Watch On
Harry Partch
Watch On
Any pitch shifter equipped with a treadle for continuous movement can be utilized to create microtones. While not every pitch shifter or octave pedal allows for this, models such as the Digitech Whammy, the EHX Pitch Fork, and the Boss PS-6 when paired with an expression pedal, can unlock those elusive in-between sounds.
Microtonal Guitars and Their Necks
Thanks to the surge in popularity surrounding Angine de Poitrine, you can now preorder microtonal guitars directly from eastman Guitars. They also offer necks that can be attached to your existing guitar, and also a double-necked model similar to the instruments used by the beloved Quebec duo.
Many skilled luthiers can convert a standard guitar into a microtonal instrument by adding new frets between the existing ones. this is how King Gizzard acquired their collection of microtonal guitars, making it an excellent way to breathe new life into an old instrument you may no longer use.
Additionally, custom microtonal necks are available for purchase on Etsy from JLJInstruments.
Essential microtonal guitar Tracks
If you’re new to the realm of microtonal music, here are some standout tracks and engaging videos to help you dive in.
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
Angine de poitrine
Watch On
Tolgahan Çoğulu
Watch On
Unlocking New Sounds: Your Essential Guide to Mastering Microtonal Guitar
Understanding Microtonality
Microtonality refers to the use of intervals smaller than the conventional semitones found in Western music. This approach opens up a vast array of musical possibilities, allowing guitarists to explore unique tonalities and expressiveness. Unlike the standard 12-tone equal temperament (12-TET) system, microtonal music can incorporate quarter tones, eighth tones, and even smaller divisions, creating a rich tapestry of sound.
Why choose microtonal Guitar?
- Expanded Musical Palette: Microtonal guitar allows for a broader range of notes, enabling musicians to create more complex and interesting melodies.
- Unique Sound: The distinct intervals can evoke emotions and atmospheres that customary tuning cannot achieve.
- Cultural Exploration: Many musical traditions around the world utilize microtonality, providing a gateway to diverse musical styles.
Essential Microtonal Instruments
To dive into microtonal guitar, you’ll need the right instruments. Here are some popular options:
| Instrument | Description | Notable Features |
|---|---|---|
| Microtonal Guitar | A guitar modified to include additional frets for microtonal playing. | Extra frets, custom tuning options. |
| Oud | A fretless string instrument from the Middle East. | Rich tonal quality, ideal for microtonal music. |
| Baglama | A Turkish stringed instrument with a long neck. | Flexible tuning, often used in folk music. |
Techniques for Mastering Microtonal Guitar
Bending strings
Bending strings is a essential technique that allows guitarists to reach microtonal pitches. By applying pressure to the string, you can create notes that fall between the standard frets. This technique is commonly used in blues and rock music.
Using Slides
Slides transform your guitar into a fretless instrument, providing access to every pitch along the string. this technique is particularly effective for achieving microtonal nuances. Aim to land on specific positions between the frets to capture the essence of maqam music.
Detuning Strings
Detuning a string by a quarter tone can help you replicate microtonal sounds on a standard guitar. This method allows you to experiment with different tonalities without needing a specialized instrument.
Microtonal Guitar Pedals
Utilizing pitch-shifting pedals can considerably enhance your microtonal playing. Here are some recommended pedals:
- Digitech Whammy: Offers a treadle for continuous pitch movement, ideal for creating microtones.
- EHX Pitch Fork: Allows for octave shifts and microtonal adjustments.
- Boss PS-6: A harmonist pedal that can be paired with an expression pedal for dynamic pitch control.
Case Studies: Artists Pushing microtonal boundaries
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard
This Australian band has embraced microtonality in their music, particularly in albums like “Flying Microtonal Banana.” Their innovative approach has inspired many guitarists to explore microtonal techniques.
Angine de Poitrine
This duo has gained popularity for their unique sound, utilizing microtonal guitars to create captivating melodies. Their performances showcase the expressive potential of microtonal music.
Brendan Byrnes
Byrnes has released several microtonal albums, including “Astral Bloom,” which highlights the versatility of microtonal guitar. His work serves as an excellent resource for those looking to delve into this musical style.
Jon Catler,12-Tone Ultra Plus guitar demo,PART I,5/15/10 – YouTube
Watch On
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