Tuning In: Microtonality in Electronic Music: A Basic Guide to Using Alternate Scales. Temperaments and Microtuning using Synthesizers [Paperback]

Scott Wilkinson (Author), Wendy Carlos (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1988

Tuning In: Microtonality, Alternate Scales And Temperaments For Electronic Musical Instruments. This is the first book available describing the use of microtonality with today's electronic musical instruments. It explores the notes 'in the cracks,' discusses uses of alternate tunings, and reveals the history of scales throughout the world. Tuning In presents tuning data for various Western, ethnic, and other alternate scales and also explains how to use microtonality on synthesizers such as the DX7II, TX81Z, Prophet 5, and any computer with an internal sound generator. This book also shows how to use alternate tunings in performance and studio applications such as sequencing and multitrack recording.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Corporation; First edition (November 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0881886335
• ISBN-13: 978-0881886337
• Product Dimensions: 11.8 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,139,899 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nice, but beware the tables, September 16, 2001

By 

David Benson "dave_benson" (Aberdeen) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tuning In: Microtonality in Electronic Music: A Basic Guide to Using Alternate Scales. Temperaments and Microtuning using Synthesizers (Paperback)

This book is a great introduction to scales and temperaments for the synthesist. But beware the tables of intervals in cents - there are quite a few entries which are very inaccurate. This applies particularly to the tables for Werckmeister III and the Vallotti-Young temperament. My recommendation to the author is to bring out a second corrected edition, also updating the information on microtonal capabilities of synthesizers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best introduction to microtonal music and consonance theory., February 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Tuning In: Microtonality in Electronic Music: A Basic Guide to Using Alternate Scales. Temperaments and Microtuning using Synthesizers (Paperback)

A wealth of microtonal music theory is presented in a friendly and easy to understand format. There are sections on acoustics, psycoacoustics, scale theory, scale history, and a list of synthesyzers and their microtonal capabilities. Over 20 different scales are spelled out in cents, ratios, and key mappings for synthesyzers. You don't have to be an electronic musician to benefit from this book. It's also a perfect introduction to Helmholtz's "On the Sensations of Tone". 120 pages.