Microtuning Instruments

Hi, everybody. I just returned from Camp Rising Sun as a music counselor
running a microtonal program. The girls (14-17) performed my cello
concerto Odysseus for the boys camp. 50 instrumentalists and 4 vocalists
-- each in their own idiosyncratic tuning -- portray the famed journey
depicted by Homer. Doing it in NYC to positive reviews provided all the
evidence that the girls needed that my original idea was on solid ground.

Also worth mentioning is that I have joined the ranks of
academically-affiliated university professors. C.W. Post (Long Island
University) has hired me as its new music composition/theory professor and
where I work along side with Howard Rovics, also a microtonal composer.
Enrollment was up 33% in music.

Now to the instruments themselves, basing my statements upon my life
experiences:

flutes-need to be open-hole for best results. Wooden non-keyed flutes are
easily set in historic temperaments by using tape to change the
angle/shape of a tone hole, and through new and partial fingings.

oboe-is a great microtonal instrument but is able to fluctuate with a
minimum of change in finger movement or breath change as to be hard to
count on for precision. Accuracy requires the mental imagination and
control of the player in his/her head...as with a violin. I am presently
composing a solo work for oboe called Melanin.

clarinet-tough to multiphonic for some. Bass clarinet is closed hole,
though it is maleable enough for quartertones. Great sliding
possibilities, though much easier to slide up.

bassoon-can play any microtone imaginable with accuracy. Its overtone
rich 3.5 octave range is rich in harmonic content. And its combination of
5 open tone holes and 26 keys make it a natural for microtonal play.

strings/voice/trombone-no problems

trumpet/tuba-these need an added quartertone piston/valve to open up the
hole enchilada of microtones due to the new combinations possible.

French horns-are quite a bit unreliable because of their placement higher
in the overtone series and because of the thingess of the mouthpiece and
tubing in general.

pianos-can be retuned, or even redesigned.

guitars-can be altered by retuning the strings, but make better microtonal
axes when they have completely redesigned fingerboards.

There are great microtonal virtuosi on all of the above instruments.

If there are any questions about writing for any of these please feel
comfortable to reply. Look out for a microtonal article in the next Whole
Earth Magazine. And New Yorkers: there'll be 2 evening broadcasts of the
best of MicroMay '97 on the New Sounds radio program with John Schaefer
(WNYC) and yours truly. (Sunday New York Times should have the days,
though the time for the show is 11 a.m.)

It's great to be back!

Johnny Reinhard
American Festival of Microtonal Music - MicroMay '97 (May 16, 21-23)
318 East 70th Street, Suite 5FW
New York, New York 10021 USA
(212)517-3550/fax (212) 517-5495
reinhard@idt.net
http://www.echonyc.com/~jhhl/AFMM/



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From: alves@orion.ac.hmc.edu
Subject: RE: Tuning of the 2nd sruti
PostedDate: 10-09-97 03:11:30
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