Mi(my)crotonal Piano
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: I explain "microtones" as the sounds between the piano keys, making it universally understandable. This widespread understanding through "piano keys" demonstrates how the 12-tone equal temperament (12-TET) has become standardized as the dominant system.When 12-TET was introduced, it created a hierarchy where diverse sounds were forced into a rigid system. Other sounds were marginalized and coded into one of the twelve tones, physically embedded in the piano's keyboard. As a result, pianists became subordinate to these physically embedded conditions of the piano.In this project, I attempted to dismantle this organizational principle. By deterritorializing these fixed tones and liberating the peripheral sounds now called "microtones," I explored not just the piano's timbral possibilities, but also the interactions that emerge in these spaces - between sounds, between people, between cultures...Through collaborations with over 30 composers, I discovered that microtones exist in the "ma" (space) between standardized tones, representing voices that don't fit into established systems. What began as an exploration of piano timbre evolved into an investigation of humanity itself, generating new meanings through ongoing dialogues and discoveries. keywords: Piano, microtonal music, orientalism, contemporary music, MA, Grisey, Vortex Temporum, Temperament, Decolonization, Microtonality, interactions, Outernational
Author: Sanae Yoshida
Language: English
Subfield: Music
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4413618315