The Blog Category Is Expanding:
I’ve expanded the blog category to include “Basic Acoustics,” “Intonation Music Theory,” and “World Music” topics in addition to the posts about guitar and keyboard intonation.
Tuning Up:
The following posts mostly talk about retuning guitars and micro tuning keyboards.
What’s intonation? It’s retuning guitars and micro tuning synths.
The guitar posts explore music played with open tunings. Moreover, we will look at styles such as rock, blues, folk, country, and Hawaiian.
Tuning with harmonics allows the guitar open tunings to have better sounding chords than the same open tunings tuned using frets or a standard electronic tuner. Nevertheless, the pattern of harmonics for the open tunings looks different than the pattern of harmonics for standard tuning.
The synth posts focus on micro tuning the synth using Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET). I created SET to have better sounding chords that equal temperament (the piano’s tuning). However, it still works with normal, unmodified instruments reading standard sheet music and regular tab.
In other words, pop and other music groups can tune synths and guitars to SET. When tuned to SET, flexible pitch instruments can play with the SET tuned guitar and synth. Specifically, the flexible pitch instruments include the violin, brass, woodwinds, and voice.
Equal tempered instruments can play at least some notes with the SET tuned guitar and synth. Specifically, the fixed pitch equal tempered instruments include the piano, organ, and xylophone. However, most percussion instruments do not need special tunings. Taken together, this makes the SET ensemble.
The cornerstone category article:
The cornerstone category article is a longer article and more technical. The post defines intonation, and discusses microtonality verses tuning theory. Also, it talks about on how SET was formed, and some of the science that went into its creation.
The posts can be further broken into guitar, synth, ensemble, etc.
Guitar, etc.:
Online Guitar and Ukulele Tuners:
Synth:
Ensemble:
Intonation Music Theory:
World Music:
Basic Acoustics:
The previous topic lists will be updated periodically. See the post grid below for the full list and full descriptions with featured images.
– Geoffrey Keith
© 2021 Geoffrey Keith
Back to the Successful Music Student Blogs page
Are you thinking about composing in just intonation? Do you worry that just intonation is impractical? As with any tuning system, just intonation has its strengths and weaknesses. We’ll look at the pros and cons, and when you’ve gone through the post, you can make up your own mind. Read more to help you answer the question, “Is just intonation impractical?” Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Is Just Intonation Impractical? Read More »
Have you ever tuned your synth to just intonation (JI), then selected a piano sound, and thought it sounded odd as you played scales? The reason many people think JI sounds strange with a piano patch is tied to how people hear melody. Read more to learn about choosing the right sound to play with just intonation. Estimated reading time 2 minutes.
Choosing The Right Sound To Play With Just Intonation Read More »
Do you like how Hawaiian music sounds? Do you feel frustrated that you can’t capture that sound yourself? Your tuning effects how the guitar sounds. Read more to learn how to tune C wahine like a Hawaiian. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
How to Tune C Wahine Like a Hawaiian Read More »
Does your guitar sound out of tune even when the tuner says you’re in tune? Do you have trouble tuning by ear or want to get a better guitar tone? Not all guitar tuners have been created equal. Read more to learn how to use an extremely accurate guitar strobe tuner to make your guitar sound awesome. Estimated reading time 9 minutes.
How to Use an Extremely Accurate Guitar Strobe Tuner Read More »
Can Supplemented Equal Temperament help you coordinate your guitar and synth tunings so they sound good? A wide range of Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) charts and preexisting EDOs (equal-division-of-the-octave tunings) can fit under the umbrella of SET. This gives you a lot of control over how you tune your guitars, ukuleles, banjos, and synths. This in turn will allow your whole ensemble to sound better in tune. Read more to learn about the flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s theory. Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
Flexibility in Supplemented Equal Temperament’s Theory Read More »
Do you have a hard time getting the authentic sound of bluegrass banjo? How you tune impacts how you sound. Read more to learn how to tune like an authentic bluegrass banjo player. Estimated reading time 4 minutes.
Tune Like an Authentic Bluegrass Banjo Player Read More »
Want the authentic sound that comes with Hawaiian tuning? How you tune impacts the guitar’s sound. Read more to learn how to tune your guitar like a Hawaiian.
Estimated reading time 6 minutes.
Tune Your Guitar Like a Hawaiian Read More »
Want to get the authentic sound of country blues guitar? Frustrated that your guitar sounds different from your favorite blues artist? The guitar’s tuning impacts the sound. Read more to learn how to tune country blues guitar to achieve an authentic blues sound.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
How to Tune Country Blues Guitar Read More »
Do you want to know how Alex Lifeson tunes his guitar in the sci-fi rock opera 2112? How does experience with playing the violin or viola impact how guitarists tunes? This space opera may be the only example of a guitarist’s tuning being included as part of the finished product. At the beginning of the section entitled Discovery the hero finds a guitar, then tunes and plays it. Read more to learn about 2112’s guitar tuning.
Estimated reading time 7 minutes.
2112’s Guitar Tuning Read More »
Frustrated with your out of tune synth chords? Do you want your brass, woodwind, and string programs to sound better? It’s not only the program you select which controls how your synth sounds, the tuning has an impact as well. I created Supplemented Equal Temperament (SET) to produce chords that sound better in tune than equal temperament (the piano’s tuning). Read more to learn how SET minor keys work.
Estimated reading time 5 minutes.
How Supplemented Equal Temperament Minor Keys Work Read More »