Learning Lumatone: Episode 15 - "31-EDO Basics" 

The supermajor chord sound so wistful in this context (10:52), the deep melancholic, but somehow beautiful, nostalgic longing for home...

What I think is even more interesting than the 31TET mapping itself is to compare the progression 12TET->19TET->31TET, in light of the Lumatone’s Bosanquet-Wilson mapping. Example: C E G Bb in comparison C E G A#. - In 12TET, the two sound exact the same. - In 19TET, the two sound very different; too different in fact: the A# is rather flat of the 7:4-ratio subminor seventh. In short, G-A# *really is* an augmented second rather than a subminor third. - In 31TET, C E G Bb and C E G A# sound not only *different* , but they sound *right* . The A# really is the B-3/4-flat needed the 4:5:6:7 frequency ratio chord.

Really great to see the Dave videos continuing! If you or your audience find yourselves queasy or confused (or whatever) by subminor, neutral, or supermajor harmony, I suggest you _start_ by using them in *sevenths, ninths, elevenths, and thirteenths, rather than the thirds* . Our ears already expect these chord tones to be “spicy,” so start there! Especially importantly, try the subminor seventh (e.g., C E G A# - or what _looks like_ A#, actually it’s a B-3/4-flat). That is very close to a 4:5:6:7 frequency ratio, so that flavor of seventh is much more settled right where it is! In Common-Practice Music Theory, the tritone between the third and seventh of a dominant-seventh chord is a fundamental dissonance to be resolved to a third or sixth. However, in Blues, seventh chords are “standard fare,” and it’s no longer about resolving that tritone. (Heck, in Barbershop Quartet music, almost every chord is a seventh chord!) This 4:5:6:7 dominant seventh chord fits this “ethos” perfectly, because it sounds rich and settled - happy where it is!

By far the most of my Lumatone work, so far at least, has been in 31TET! (Perhaps “fun” and “experiences” would be better words than “work,” though!) I first heard about 31TET from Ivor Darreg way back in 1977, but not until I actually used it on my Lumatone did I _even _*_begin_*_ to grasp_ just how versatile, and yet easy to use and to make musical sense of, it is!

It has a perfect 3rd and 7th. I looooooove this.

"31-EDO basics" thats a nice oxymoron

Really great video and gorgeous little piece at the end of the video. Thanks Dave.

Why is the link never in the description when they say it is? *sigh*

I am so obsessed with these sounds… it hits me on a deep heart & soul level that I’m unused to

3:04 It is not linked in the description!!

Nevermind trying to figure out this instrument I spent most of the video trying to decipher this guy's hair.

5:53 - Comparing 31TET and 12TET major thirds would probably have been a clearer comparison, since 31TET’s M3 is pretty much right on Just and 12TET’s is nearly 14c sharp. For minor thirds, 12TET’s is nearly 16c flat, but 31TET’s is about 6c flat. I think what’s most interesting though, is the all-new melodic and harmonic possibilities, and that they’re so well-organized on the Lumatone. For example, C E G Bb vs. C E G A# (actually Bdb). The latter with the 3/4-flat is much more settled, whereas the former demands resolution.

I really wanna learn that progression at the end.

Binging these videos for 2 reasons. 1, i’ve finally started composing in microtonal systems. And, 2. I’m all about that ‘dad who has seen Sonic Youth 22 times’ energy.

I experimented with music a lot on the Atari 8-bit which could not faithfully produce 12EDO. Most of the notes were kind of out of tune but I wasn't sophisticated enough to notice it at the time. But it gives a lot of the crunchy, warbely intervals in 31EDO a really familiar feeling to me.

Another curious thing related to 31TET: Carlos “Alpha” non-octave tuning is _close to_ every other step of 31TET. Not exactly, but close: every other step of 31TET works out to ~77.42c per step, whereas Alpha is 78c per step. Somewhat similarly, 88CET is close to every third step of 41TET, and Bohlen-Pierce is close to every fifth step of 41TET.

I LOVE 31-EDO, I just uploaded a short 2 days ago where I played song in 31-EDO. I still kinda suck at this instrument, but check it out lol!

Damn! That's a lot of notes :)))

An interesting 31TET chord -- a variant on quartal harmony: C D# F G# Bb C# Eb F#. Basically a whole bunch of 7:6s and 8:7s. Or similarly, sorta, Bb G C D# F G#.

These videos are really helpful about learning to play the lumatone. Especially useful would be if you can shows little display up above (like you did for the harmonic table video) because it’s cleaner than looking sheer your fingers are. Even still, I’m finding 31edo to be a nice tuning so far, and a bit easier to get vibes I want than in 19! Peace al

Why is there no episode 14?

I think it's good to point out that D flat and C sharp in 31TET are simply names for the notes immediately above C. The following note is named D because its kind close ish to 12TET D. And there are 2 notes between C and "D" in 31TET, thua C sharp and D flat make reasonable names for them.

Pretty cool thanks. can we do 24 tet next?

Just a question. Do you find that the background track adds something to the presentation? I find it distracting when trying to listen. Love the content! So glad this is becoming a thing!

Beautiful sounds, beautiful layout, yes, but! How do you TUNE the blessed thing? Pressing a Lumatone key does not generate a pitch bend message, so, whatever comes out of the Lumatone, has to be intercepted by - - ? How does THAT work??

glad in 2022 ppl like u tellin this stuff. i alr knew this but i was happy to watch again. u laid it out pretty well. id say only one thing try n use a patch that does not waver much but other then that rly great video. i especially enjoyed the 19 edo one

"...gives us these 31 notes" Simply Piano ad: *starts* Ah yes, the 31 notes of the Hungarian Dance

do you think the mircotone make the chord progression less abstract, l mean the illusion of the music seems like more stright, cuz the note become more specific，the emotion more stright.

Sorry but it doesn't help that you are using a sound with slight pitch warping in your demonstration.

What a strange system of concepts the musicians seem to have created for themselves. To me, as a former physicist with no musical education, music theory made no sense even though I did make some attempts to understand it. And then I discovered the microtonal music theory which explained everything in an understandable way, with what I call "normal human math". And a good example of that weirdness that I see is in the explanation of what just intonation is in this video. To me, the simplest explanation is that in JI rational fractions instead of a logarithmic scale are used to describe the frequency relations between the notes. Instead, what is valiantly presented here is ""In a nutshell, in JI when you strike any key, it produces a series of harmonic overtones, all of which are notes that are in the same key of that fundamental note you struck". I can understand it in hindsight, after having familiarized myself with the way more general music theory that the microtonality-related sources provide, but if this were the only definition I had, I would probably still be doubting what JI is...

It's a wig! It's a wig!

Side note: could you please discard the stupid background music during your demonstration? Totally distracting even when muted during your played notes. I think even younger kids should be able to follow your highly interesting demo without permanently being subjected to background muzak. Keep up the good work :-)

31edo sound out of tune in a good way.

Please drop that annoying background muzak.

I think he is missing the point entirely.

Sooooooooooo much yapping and so little playing the instrument.