I am absolutely stoked with Dorico and in particular with the new custom tonality options and the ability to playback in different equal temperaments.
I am currently working on my masters thesis on the possibilities of a 22edo electric guitar and I am working on a large composition for 22edo electric guitar and a microtonally retuned amplified harpsichord. It would be extremely useful for me and for anyone who experiments with microtonal guitars to have the option to customise the fret spacing of a guitar under the tablature settings. Would this be possible? Here’s an example of how I am notating 22edo already in Dorico (the numbers above the staff represent the distance of each interval from the low C in cents - if you look closely you’ll see that I’ve set the notation so that the closest equivalent to the C major scale in 22edo also has no accidentals).
It seems there would be two ways of achieving this, either by allowing the inputting of precise decimal values under the irregular fret spacing parameter or even better, to have a separate option of simply changing the division of frets within the space of an octave. Having both would make literally anything possible.
Welcome to the forum, Xenharm. I see you’ve also found a previous thread on this topic. This is something we’re thinking about as a possible future development, but it’s not something we are actively working on at the moment. However, it’s helpful to know that it would be useful to you as well as to the couple of people who posted in the original thread.
Thanks for your response Daniel. I understand that there aren’t a huge number of people looking for this option, so it won’t be a top priority for you. If it was an option however, it could lead the way and inspire people to try out microtonal guitars, so I hope you get around to it at some point. Already I think Dorico will inspire more people to experiment with complex microtonal systems.
Xenharm, I suggest you take a look at Stephen Weigel’s youtube videos. He has created both microtonal staff notation and guitar tablature for a 27EDO guitar piece by Brendan Byrnes in Dorico, and he shows how in his video. - Btw, I would recommend using the standard notation for 22EDO, as it’s more logical. Rather than three step sizes for the white notes, it has two: 4144144 (so-called Superpyth). Sharp and flat are 3 steps, arrow is one step and then you need sharp-with-arrow-down and flat-with-arrow-up for 2 steps.
I did my masters thesis on 22EDO guitars. Superpyth isn’t a logical system if you actually try voicing chords using it. Completely illogical to use steps of 4 and 1 in my opinion. I have many reasons for dividing it the way I did, but that would take a long time to explain. This system is as logical as you can get. I explored many and tried voicing chords using multiple methods in each.
Fair enough, of course you should use the system that works best for you; and you’ve put a lot of thought into this and found the best-working solution for your guitar music. As you say, this is not the place for discussing music theory, but I just want to briefly explain what I meant by “more logical”. (You most probably know all this, though.) In a chain-of-fifths based notation system, which in 22edo leads to Superpyth nominals (white notes), a specific interval is always notated the same way, regardless its transposition. So CG and DA, BF, EbBb, D^A^etc. are all pure fifths, CEvG, EG#vB and Eb^GBb^are all 5-limit major triads and so on. In your system, the C major triad is notated as CEG but E major is notated EG^B and D major is notated as DF#A^ and D^major as D^GvBb (or D^GvA#). I would think such irregularities are tough to learn. I do understand that you want to use the 5-limit Just Intonation scale as the basis of your notation. As to voicings and preferred chords, the chosen staff notation system doesn’t dictate them in any way, IMO (the notation may be in Superpyth even if the music isn’t) but I get it that you want certain important chords and voicings to look familiar. - Here is Stephen Weigel’s video about making microtonal Tab notation in Dorico: Transcribing Brendan Byrnes (microtonal TAB in Dorico 2) - YouTube And here he is using the Superpyth-based notation system, as well as tab, for guitar music in 22edo: Remember Me (22edo cover transcription) - YouTube
I wasn’t here to argue about notation systems. I did my research and my system works perfectly well with zero problems whatsoever for what I’m doing (and no that’s not 5 limit harmony). If you prefer superpyth then great. Each to their own.
I see your point now
Actually both are valid, it depends on how you want to organise the thirds in diatonic settings. Superpythagorean (4414441 - from C) is ideal if you are constructing scales/chords using primarily 9/7 major thirds (436 cents) and 7/6 minor thirds, whereas my notation is structured primarily using 5/4 major thirds and 6/5 minor thirds. It is true that superpythagorean notation and the former organisation out of the two I just mentioned are a lot easier to wrap your head around. But there is definitely an argument for constructing scales around the 5/4 major third, although the 9/7 ratio only has an error of a bit more than 1 cent in 22EDO, which is pretty sweet. You can easily just add a quarter flat to B and E in C Major using superpythagorean however, and follow that process in any other key.
I have to say, since it’s easier to grasp superpythagorean notation I think I’ll stick with that now.
