Quarter Tones

Since Music Publisher 6 the software has been able to create and hear scores using Quarter Tones.

Quarter tones are, as the name suggests, notes placed exactly half way between those normally part of Western Music. So between C and C sharp there is C half-sharp; between E and F there is E half-sharp.

Just as C sharp can be D flat, C half-sharp can be D three-quarter flat; E half-sharp can be F half-flat.

In fact we need new symbols and while there is not yet 100% agreement on the symbols, a set of symbols is gaining universal acceptance.

Name	Symbol	Comment
¼ tone sharp		This notation is called the 'Tartini sharp' as it was proposed as early as 1756 by Giuseppe Tartini. The symbolism is clear, it being half of a normal semitone sharp.
¾ tone sharp		Also by Tartini. Again visually clear: it is three times the sharpening power of the quartertone above.
¼ tone flat		There is no universally accepted notation for quarter flats. However this reversed form has near standard status in atonal woodwind music, which also uses the Tartini sharps above.
¾ tone flat		Although acceptance is growing, there is less general agreement about the ¾ flat, but this symbol here seems clear being the admixture of a half and a quarter. It’s also rather pretty.

Here is a scale involving all the 24 quartertones:

Click the image to hear the scale. (The actual quality of the sound you hear depends on your sound card.)

And this score demonstrates the difference between major, minor and half-minor triads:

Again, click the image to hear the effect. And if you don't wince I think you should have.

All pictures and sounds produced by Music Publisher.

© Braeburn Software 2008