Skip to content

The University of Iowa Libraries

Skip to content
Go to
InfoHawk+
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries

Digital Scholarship & Publishing Studio

PLEASE NOTE



This post is more than two years old. Read it with that in mind. Thank you.
Jul 24 2019

Analyzing microtones and writing them for western classical instruments

Posted on July 24, 2019 by roshandel

At this stage of the research, I selected 4 recorded audio examples all performed in one mode (3 pre-recorded and my own recording); first, in order to measure the frequencies and then, to look at the potential deferences between them. Our performed sample is the third measure of the previous report (D, raised E-flat, F, G)

To make the sound files similar to one another, I needed to cut the portions of the sound files from the original recordings in order to have a scale-like order of the pitches. That has been done in Audacity. Also, in some cases, I needed to change the tempo.

One of the issues that I came across was the different tunings of these recordings. In other words, the starting pitch (and as a result of that, the following pitches) are different than one another in these recordings. Although Iranian instruments have been tuned in C when they are supposed to be played for example in an orchestra or with western classical instruments, it is likely to find many recordings that are not tuned in C, especially solo recordings. Two reasons could be considered in this regard: first, the soloist is not meant to play with another musician and second, musicians might retune their instruments rather than modulating their mode because of the acoustic characters of their instruments.

To compare the sound files more accurately and also, show the results clearer, I decided to select my own sound file (which is tuned in C) as the default recording. Then, I pitch-shifted the other recordings in order to have all of my recordings in the same tuning. Therefore, I had to measure the frequency of the first pitch (D in this case) and set the rest to that frequency. This way, we would have 4 recorded samples which are in the same mode with the same starting pitch, as follows:

1st audio sample (Ramin Roshandel)

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/Ramin.mp3

2nd audio sample (Ahmad Ebadi)

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/ebadi-2.mp3

3rd audio sample (Mohammad Reza Lotfi)

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/lotfi-2.mp3

4th audio sample (Jalil Shahnaz)

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/Shahnaz-2.mp3

 

Having these, now we are able to analyze the frequency (Hz) of the pitches by getting their plot spectrograms:

Ramin Roshandel:     296-321-351-396

Ahmad Ebadi:       296-323-356-398

Mohammad Reza Lotfi:        296-324-348-398

Jalil Shahnaz:        296-325-354-397

 

We can see that even though in all the examples, the first frequency is the same, the rest are different. This difference is even more for the third frequency because this degree of the mode in this specific mode (Abou-Atâ) is meant to be vibrated and this vibration decreases the accuracy of the pot spectrogram. In the first recording, we intentionally didn’t vibrate the string so that we can have an average frequency for that degree (351 Hz).

Then, we asked the musicians to perform different fingerings of the same four-note pattern and recorded them. Here are the results for the second note of this tetrachord and the frequency differences in cents:

 

Setar: +54 cents

Flute (one option, an octave higher): +38 cents

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/flute.mp3

Clarinet (two options): +43, +49 cents

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/clarinet-2.mp3 https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/clarinet-1.mp3

 

Bassoon (three options, an octave lower)

+27, +27 , D natural +71 cents

https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/bassoon-1.mp3 https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/bassoon-2.mp3 https://blog.lib.uiowa.edu/studio/files/2019/07/bassoon-3.mp3

 

My plan is following the same process for the other modes on a larger scale and having the closest, and the most accurate fingerings of these microtones and their ornamentations for the western classical instruments. Then, I will be able to use them in the piece that I’ve been working on.

 

Ramin Roshandel

Posted in Digital Scholarship & Publishing, Studio Fellows

Post navigation

Teaching Digital Music Digitally
A Tale of Travel

Categories

  • Anniversaries
  • Campus history
  • Digital Scholarship & Publishing
  • DIY History
  • Events
  • Iowa Digital Library
  • Iowa Research Online
  • News
  • PDH Certificate
  • Publishing
  • Studio Fellows
  • Uncategorized

Archives

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

More links

  • Digital Research & Publishing Studio
  • Iowa Digital Library
  • Iowa Research Online
  • More Library Feeds
  • DSPS News via Email
Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Zoia by Automattic.
University of Iowa Libraries University of Iowa Libraries The University of Iowa The University of Iowa Libraries
  • Contact the Libraries
  • Library locations & hours
  • News & Events
  • Help using the Libraries
  • Assistance for people with disabilities
  • Our diversity statement
  • Thank a Librarian
  • Web site/page feedback OR general suggestions
  • UI Libraries other links UI Libraries in the Internet Archive Use and reuse of UI Libraries web content - Creative Commons Staff SharePoint (authentication required)
  • UI Libraries on social media UI Libraries on Instagram UI Libraries on Facebook UI Libraries on Twitter UI Libraries on Pinterest UI Libraries on Tumblr UI Libraries on YouTube UI Libraries on Flickr UI Libraries blogs
  • 100 Main Library (LIB)
  • 125 West Washington St.
  • Iowa City, IA 52242-1420
  • 319-335-5299 (Service Desk)
  • ©2019 The University of Iowa
  • Give a gift to the Libraries!