Whats your favorite way to use microtonal drift? If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting my work on Patreon! www.patreon.com/LeviMcClain Correction(s): 9:35 I misspoke and said the chord shimmers into an F saj ‡5, when it actually shimmers into an Fd saj ‡5. The notation is correct, I just said the wrong thing.
During those microtonal modulations I realized how much of an effect the drum tuning has relative to the rest of the song. Each of the snare notes just got crunchier and crunchier to hear until the key went back to a standard E. That had me wondering... what is the best way to tune for a song like this? I think it might be more ideal to work off of an electronic drum kit set to a pitch bending automation clip that bends the pitch of each of drum samples just enough to not stick out, but without that luxury I guess the song would have to be written around the limitations of an acoustic drum kit. How would pitch bending your drums affect your microtonal songs?
It seems to me that with quadramodal playing, you are filling in too much of the 31EDO space, which is why the shimmer starts to go away but if you did quadramodal playing in a tuning system that had more notes to start with, like 50EDO, then it might retain more of the shimmer. Although in 50EDO, the diesis gets larger, which might not be what you want to do with the spacing, so maybe one with a less flat fifth and thus a smaller diesis would be the way to go, like 43EDO (maybe not yet enough notes for quadramodal), 55EDO, or even 67EDO.
@@SomeOne-yt9drTheybsay that because the "bilically accurate angel" thing is VERY out of hand. There are plenty of instances of angels in the bible appearing quite human and one or maybe two that fit the description people have been slobbering over.
Wow, really nicely explained! I can imagine chord extensions like the 7th and 9th to change in the same pattern as everything else in some wild asymmetrical time signatures. I might definitely do that..... Also microtonal drift seems like it can be really cool at a medium fast speed, where you drift away from home up or down for a phrase, and snap right back at the start of the next. I feel like the ear still has the tonic in it but you can still take it on a journey
I have been watching music TH-cam for its entire existence. Just when i thought i was able to keep up without a formal education in music... Like i broadly understand most of the concepts here but how have i not heard most of these words before
10:21 this is fascinating because it sounds like we're in a system with much smaller step sizes (i guess like 93edo, 31*3). super fucking cool stuff man
This is Music theory represented as a Spirograph with the practicality of a Robertson Screwdriver. Interesting, but impractical/useless for the vast majority of musicians. Keep up the good work.
It's a bit different conceptually, but this reminds me of some experiments I did making a 2D grid keyboard layout that was based on Wicki-Hayden, but compromised the octave very slightly to have purer thirds and fifths than would otherwise be possible for meantone. Playing notes an octave apart would give a more subtle chorus effect (the discrepancy was not as large as a 31 diesis), though 2 or 3 octaves would start to give the impression of a different note altogether.
Sick, it's like a foggier version of JI comma pumping. When working with this many shimmer intervals next to each other (like at 3:31), I wonder if it has the properties of narrow-band noise as it starts to approach a similar level of audio-spectrum saturation. I think you should really check out some of Eberhardt Zwickel's work on the pitch of narrow-band noise and maybe even Zwicker tones to see if similar psychoacoustic effects can be achieved within 31edo!
Neat! I think you can get some cool stuff from moving the third outwards too, because there's two other perfect thirds that are available to you. There are four total: major (5/4), minor (6/5), mixer (7/6), and maxer (9/7). Note that 5/4 * 6/5 = 1.5, and 7/6 * 9/7 = 1.5. Mixer and maxer exist on the outsides of major and minor.
It's incredible how you teach such complex theories in such a easy way with those visuals. I'm researching a music teaching method using geometry and I'm in search of a way to create those visuals, but i'm not sure how. Do you use a program like adobe illustrator or you write your own code to generate these beautiful animations?
@@williamsantoz5196 thank you! I mock up the graphics in photoshop and I animate them 1 frame at a time in premiere. I’m sure there is a more efficient way with code and whatnot, but I have no idea how to do it. If you are interested in teaching music with geometry, I’d recommend checking out Adrian Valia’s work. He’s someone who’s thought a lot about what you’re interested in. I find his insight valuable and extremely clear/easy to understand.
Have a look into the concept of 12 NEJIs as well as tunings like Zhea's Candescent[48] for other easy ways to access microtonal flavor on a 12-focused interface!
The move from F to E is happening over so many chords I almost don't process it as a key change at all. I say "almost" because on my second listen there was a point where It felt like it actively shifted. Either way, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey -- IE, the reason to do this should be the chords reached along the way.
NGL, I don't understand it, yet I think that when microtonal music doesn't sound like detuned is a step in the right direction ;) It actually sounds interesting.
@@jordenpeterkin7322 not really. Just picked one! Kinda inspired by some of Zheanna Erose’s work with Lydian and 31 so I just went with it. But as I mention in the video, it works with every mode!
I’m sure someone could use it well in your preferred style! It’s just an idea, don’t knock it on the basis of not liking my particular composition style ✌️
@ hahaha I get you, that stuff can get tiring after a while. But I am a sucker for some of the ear candy sound design elements some of those ambient folks use! I’m more interested in working on expanding and solidifying 31 theory right now than in songwriting. I’ll leave that part up to everyone else!
Your "theoretic framework" play is unrecognizable from a 5 y.o. kid's hitting random notes to mimic adults, lol. "Microtone" is euphemism for "out of tune".
Patricia Taxxon's song "Spiral Staircase" does some clever microtonal chord switching with a similar concept of "two modes". It's one of my favorite songs of all time.
Whats your favorite way to use microtonal drift? If you enjoyed this video, please consider supporting my work on Patreon! www.patreon.com/LeviMcClain
Correction(s):
9:35 I misspoke and said the chord shimmers into an F saj ‡5, when it actually shimmers into an Fd saj ‡5. The notation is correct, I just said the wrong thing.
Now this, THIS is what I call a musical summoning circle.
I can hear the sound of distant hell scream inside it. Wath a horrific sound
Since it's lydian, you must call upon the clouds.
This is like if chord progressions turned into butter and sprouted wings. So smooth :)
what a video to be early on
facts
During those microtonal modulations I realized how much of an effect the drum tuning has relative to the rest of the song. Each of the snare notes just got crunchier and crunchier to hear until the key went back to a standard E. That had me wondering... what is the best way to tune for a song like this? I think it might be more ideal to work off of an electronic drum kit set to a pitch bending automation clip that bends the pitch of each of drum samples just enough to not stick out, but without that luxury I guess the song would have to be written around the limitations of an acoustic drum kit. How would pitch bending your drums affect your microtonal songs?
This is super cool. I love structured aproaches to microtonal harmony. So happy this is happening in my time
I appreciate you composed this in F-lydian! all the white keys 😆
It seems to me that with quadramodal playing, you are filling in too much of the 31EDO space, which is why the shimmer starts to go away but if you did quadramodal playing in a tuning system that had more notes to start with, like 50EDO, then it might retain more of the shimmer. Although in 50EDO, the diesis gets larger, which might not be what you want to do with the spacing, so maybe one with a less flat fifth and thus a smaller diesis would be the way to go, like 43EDO (maybe not yet enough notes for quadramodal), 55EDO, or even 67EDO.
Quadralydian sounds like something along the lines of biblically accurate angels
A bunch of bs?
@@joeywisedrumsno, I meant something incomprehensibly captivating, what the hell, I love microtonality
@@SomeOne-yt9drTheybsay that because the "bilically accurate angel" thing is VERY out of hand. There are plenty of instances of angels in the bible appearing quite human and one or maybe two that fit the description people have been slobbering over.
Aww boohoo @@joeywisedrums
@@letrhysdance5926 😜
You’re inventing new musical tools! Could be an awesome technique for film scores
Thank you for working at the edge of what's possible and sharing it with us, is like the kind of conversations I want to have irl
Wow, really nicely explained! I can imagine chord extensions like the 7th and 9th to change in the same pattern as everything else in some wild asymmetrical time signatures. I might definitely do that.....
Also microtonal drift seems like it can be really cool at a medium fast speed, where you drift away from home up or down for a phrase, and snap right back at the start of the next. I feel like the ear still has the tonic in it but you can still take it on a journey
I have been watching music TH-cam for its entire existence. Just when i thought i was able to keep up without a formal education in music... Like i broadly understand most of the concepts here but how have i not heard most of these words before
Also this video is about to explode and you have a really amazing catalogue of videos alread too, all the effort is about to pay off
If it helps, I also have no formal education in music 😅
Wait what the hell, those example pieces are extremely rad
Sounds like a new jazz
for the first video ive ever seen from you, this one blew my mind and was exactly the kind of thing im interested in - instant subscribe
Welcome aboard! The Microtonal train is departing to the totally unknown, through the dissonance, in search of the consonant beauty within
10:21 this is fascinating because it sounds like we're in a system with much smaller step sizes (i guess like 93edo, 31*3). super fucking cool stuff man
Incredible stuff brother.
Love and blessings!
I liked when the notes became bisexual 7:26
literal lol
immediately blew my mind! this is so good!
I had a glitch where the comment section of a different video was under this one with 8 year old comments
I noticed this like 10 years ago. Just figured it was something about the way we like music subconsciously
beautiful
I could see this being used on the spinning guitar, in which the guitar has both guitar and bass strings, and can go fretless.
Matthias Krantz created this instrument, by the way
5:10 Is this what happens when 12 tones as a concept is expanded upon?
GOD DAMN I NEED 1:36 IN FULL SO BAAAAAAD
This is Music theory represented as a Spirograph with the practicality of a Robertson Screwdriver. Interesting, but impractical/useless for the vast majority of musicians. Keep up the good work.
It's a bit different conceptually, but this reminds me of some experiments I did making a 2D grid keyboard layout that was based on Wicki-Hayden, but compromised the octave very slightly to have purer thirds and fifths than would otherwise be possible for meantone. Playing notes an octave apart would give a more subtle chorus effect (the discrepancy was not as large as a 31 diesis), though 2 or 3 octaves would start to give the impression of a different note altogether.
Impure octaves FTW!
so underrated but so scary
Sick, it's like a foggier version of JI comma pumping. When working with this many shimmer intervals next to each other (like at 3:31), I wonder if it has the properties of narrow-band noise as it starts to approach a similar level of audio-spectrum saturation. I think you should really check out some of Eberhardt Zwickel's work on the pitch of narrow-band noise and maybe even Zwicker tones to see if similar psychoacoustic effects can be achieved within 31edo!
@@ganzoublie I wondered that too! Thank you. I’ll check out his work - sounds like it might help provide clarity on some questions I have.
can we have that intro song as a full track? it's lovely
Neat! I think you can get some cool stuff from moving the third outwards too, because there's two other perfect thirds that are available to you. There are four total: major (5/4), minor (6/5), mixer (7/6), and maxer (9/7). Note that 5/4 * 6/5 = 1.5, and 7/6 * 9/7 = 1.5. Mixer and maxer exist on the outsides of major and minor.
It's incredible how you teach such complex theories in such a easy way with those visuals. I'm researching a music teaching method using geometry and I'm in search of a way to create those visuals, but i'm not sure how. Do you use a program like adobe illustrator or you write your own code to generate these beautiful animations?
@@williamsantoz5196 thank you! I mock up the graphics in photoshop and I animate them 1 frame at a time in premiere. I’m sure there is a more efficient way with code and whatnot, but I have no idea how to do it. If you are interested in teaching music with geometry, I’d recommend checking out Adrian Valia’s work. He’s someone who’s thought a lot about what you’re interested in. I find his insight valuable and extremely clear/easy to understand.
Honestly, the thing I like most about this is the potential for microtonal instrument interfaces (keyboard layouts) that are a bit more sane.
Have a look into the concept of 12 NEJIs as well as tunings like Zhea's Candescent[48] for other easy ways to access microtonal flavor on a 12-focused interface!
loveeeeeeee your videos levi
The move from F to E is happening over so many chords I almost don't process it as a key change at all. I say "almost" because on my second listen there was a point where It felt like it actively shifted. Either way, it's not about the destination, it's about the journey -- IE, the reason to do this should be the chords reached along the way.
2:10 great video btw to young producers:
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES is the goldmine of production imo
yes, so very very cool, one might say it is in fact super cool
NGL, I don't understand it, yet I think that when microtonal music doesn't sound like detuned is a step in the right direction ;) It actually sounds interesting.
So how about quadralocrian?
@@S.B.C-Pixi should I do it for the memes?
@LeviMcClain I would like to listen Dust to Dust by John KirkPatrick within quadrolocrian, with, if it exists, a 31-tet accordion.
@LeviMcClain Also is their a difference between saying 31-tet and 31-Edo?
holy fuck this is next level
maybe not the best video for someone learning regular modulation lol. though chord theory is so cool! loved double modes now we have even more lol!
Wow.. powerful stuff
This is an interesting concept! I have tried 31-edo and I would like to try this concept for my future song!
Sweet bro, I really liked this theory, and how it sounded, and I'm experimenting.
very very cool
I want a locrian version of it
Oh this is WAAAAYY too advanced for me.
Im going back to my hot crossed buns
If you do it in 50 EDO you will find it’s much more pleasing to the human ear
clever
We gotta get you down to Pittsburgh.
Any particular reason this whole concept is built on Lydian instead of any other mode?
@@jordenpeterkin7322 not really. Just picked one! Kinda inspired by some of Zheanna Erose’s work with Lydian and 31 so I just went with it. But as I mention in the video, it works with every mode!
So delicious to the ear !
Wouldnt it sound more lydian if instead a chromatic step away from the tonic it would be the tritone which makes it bright?
If people laugh at you for studying music, show them this
Oh man
I love you
Kinda need a fretless to make good use of rhis.
Here at 69 views. Nice
This is an interesting idea but i can't sit thru the way you talk about it, lol.
How should I talk about it?
It's just dressed-up ambient music, I guess some may like it like people who like ambient guitar but no thanks not my taste sorry.
I’m sure someone could use it well in your preferred style! It’s just an idea, don’t knock it on the basis of not liking my particular composition style ✌️
@@LeviMcClain I'm not really knocking it, it is much better and more interesting than playing guitar swells over a looped guitar swell
@ hahaha I get you, that stuff can get tiring after a while. But I am a sucker for some of the ear candy sound design elements some of those ambient folks use! I’m more interested in working on expanding and solidifying 31 theory right now than in songwriting. I’ll leave that part up to everyone else!
you're too smart - nobody will ever understand your music. it's nice though. i think
Your "theoretic framework" play is unrecognizable from a 5 y.o. kid's hitting random notes to mimic adults, lol. "Microtone" is euphemism for "out of tune".
It's you who sound like a 5 year old - but conservative thought is based on childishness and psychological projection
uneducated and closed-minded
12/31 ragebait
Patricia Taxxon's song "Spiral Staircase" does some clever microtonal chord switching with a similar concept of "two modes". It's one of my favorite songs of all time.
That sounds incredible. Wig lifted 🤯🫠🤓