Re: Playing with Quartertones

[Hans Åberg]

> On 16 May 2020, at 05:35, Michael Heerdegen <address@hidden> wrote:
> 
> When I have a midi file containing quartertones, like the ones on this
> page for example:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter_tone
> 
> or, more generally, other "microtones", is it possible to import the
> file in lilypond?  How would that look like?  Would it be possible to
> export back to midi?

You need to know what you want: LilyPond proper only handles ETs that are 
multiples of 12, but Graham Breed made a file regular.ly that kan handle any 
ET. Then this can be used to simulate more complex microtones.

In addition, LilyPond lacks the font glyphs, but they can be used with 
OpenLilyLib, say with the SMuFL specification, which has a Bravura font.
  https://www.smufl.org

One point of departure might be Helmholtz-Ellis notation. It departs from 
Pythagorean tuning, extended with syntonic commas, but is approximated well by 
E53, and E72 can also be used.
  http://www.marcsabat.com/pdfs/notation.pdf

E31 and E19 are meantone tunings that approximate the respective major and 
minor thirds well. Turkish music departs from Pythagorean commas, but is also 
approximated well by E53 and E73. In Arab and Persian music, the amount is one 
the average about the double of that. In E72, one tonestep, or comma, 
alteration correspond to the 5th partial, two to the 7th partial, and three, 
the exact E12 quartertones that are in E24, to the 11th partial.

> BTW, I've found this page:
> 
>  http://www.ekmelic-music.org/en/index.htm
> 
> it links to an addon (Ekmelily) that "supports the notation of
> microtonal music in several equal-temperament tunings: 12, 19, 24, 31,
> 36, 48, and 72-EDO".  But only these, and the page states that it isn't
> possible to export the result to midi.

It looks to something like the Bravura font.