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This is a more or less final version of the piece I’ve been working on lately. It uses a progression that is close to a circle of fifths:

• A- minor
• F minor
• C minor
• G minor
• D# minor
• B- minor

The scales are all 16-note utonal scales, with the root each in position 9. So, G minor’s root is 3:2, A- minor’s root is 5:3, and B- minor’s root is 11:6. The descending notes are shown here:

The piece spends most of its time in A- (5:3) minor. There is a chorus that includes the circle of fifths voiced so that it sounds like it’s either rising or falling, even though it’s actually jumping up a 3:2 (or close to 3:2).

I’ve divided the scales into four tetrads, in varying degrees of consonants. Relative to the root of the scale, tetrad A contains 1:1, 6:5, 3:2, and 12:7, which is a pretty conventional just intonation minor 7th. Tetrad B contains 8:5, 24:13, 12:11, and 4:3. The other 8 notes are used less frequently, until the end. There are lots of chords that slide from tetrad A to B and visa versa. I also use many trills, and some slides with vibrato on long notes that sounds like a guitar with a whammy bar.

This is a transformation of a piece I wrote several years ago called “Resolution in Blue“, after the phrase the U.N. uses for a written draft of a resolution. This just uses the progression of that piece, and throws everything else away. Except the whammy bar.

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or download here:
Resolution in Blue #7

This is a transformation of a piece I wrote several years ago called “Resolution in Blue“, after the phrase the U.N. uses for a written draft of a resolution. This just uses the progression of that piece, and throws everything else away.

Stream online:

or download here:
Resolution in Blue #1

Today’s version is the most interesting of three runs through the algorithms of the transformation of the piece, Tsantsa Circle Dance, originally written in 2002. I shortened it up a bit this time. Previous versions with more details on the tuning here, here, and here.

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Tsantsa Circle Dance #8

This is a more or less final version of the transformation of the piece, Tsantsa Circle Dance, written in 2002, this time played on Prent’s Microtonal Slide Bosendorfers.

In today’s version, I updated the voicings for the bridge chords so that they move smoothly up or down a roughly chromatic scale, even though they are not chromatically related. For example, there is the following sequence of keys, and I play the 1:1 5:4 3:2 and 7:4 tetrad in each key. But I array them so that the first chord, D+ major, is voiced 4:5:6:7, the second F major is voiced 7:4:5:6. That way it seems to go up by very small degrees, when the change of key is larger. This way, it takes me about 24 chord changes to rise an octave. Here it is in cents:

These chords are in the 15-limit diamond as the otonality on 4:3, 8:5, 1:1, 16:11, 16:9, and back to 8:7.

Each chord can take advantage of all the 16 notes in the otonality scale to the 31-limit. Here is an example in D+:

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or download here:
Tsantsa Circle Dance #4

This is a work in progress. I’ve yet to add in some of the most interesting parts of the original piece, but those will come. I completed the bridge section, which has a circle of chords to contrast with the theme in D+maj (8:7).

.chorus1 &Fnmaj.&all-031*. &Abmaj.&all-031*. &C2maj.&all-031*. &G-maj.&all-031*. &A#maj.&all-031*.

These chords are in the 15-limit diamond as the otonality on 4:3, 8:5, 1:1, 16:11, 16:9, and back to 8:7.

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or download here:
Tsantsa Circle Dance #2

This is new piece based on a work I did in 2002 called the Tsantsa Circle Dance. That one was scored for flute, finger piano, tuba, trombone, violin, cello, guitar, double bass, and percussion. The chord progression made use of a set of scales from the 15-limit tonality diamond. Today’s is scored for Prent’s Microtonal Slide Bosendorfers, and uses the 31-limit tonality diamond. This is just a beginning, and I’ll work on including more of the progressions used in the original, and work some of the rough parts in the near future.

Tsantsa is a native South American Indian term for shrunken heads. It’s a dance number. Or the original was.

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or download here:
Tsantsa Circle Dance #1

Here is the piano accompaniment to Gabriel’s Oboe.

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Gabriel’s Oboe Piano Alone #4

Here is the piano accompaniment to Bach’s March in G from Suzuki.

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Kortte #7

Here is a realization of the Bach Chorale “Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice” based on a hymn written around 1523 by Martin Luther, published in the first Lutheran Hymnal. The tuning is derived from three 16 note scales from the 31-limit tonality diamond, the otonalities on C (1:1), F (4:3), and Bb (16:9) transposed up a 4:3 to match the keys required.

For each chord I chose either of these otonal scales and freely switched between them. There is a good deal of random aspects of the piece, and each one is quite different. I think the ending sounds more like Schubert than Bach.

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Gemein #3

Some other versions:
Gemein #2

Gemein #1

Here are three new realizations of the Bach Chorale “Adorn yourself, O dear soul” based on a hymn written around 1649 by Johann Franck and Johann Cruger. The tuning is derived from just two 16 note scales from the 31-limit tonality diamond, the otonalities on F (4:3) and Bb (16:9). For each chord I chose either of these otonal scales and freely switched between them. Because there are so many choices in the drunkard walk, I’ve included three variations for comparison.