Microtones by Lamplight | Guitar Study 2

#microtonal #guitar #fretlessguitar

This improvisational exercise makes use of the following scale for melodies, bass lines, and chords:

1/1, 9/8, 5/4, 11/8, 3/2, 13/8, 7/4

The guitar effects chain uses an EQD Avalanche Run in the FX loop of a Bugera V22 on the high gain channel. Bass and Synth were created using Surge XT in Reaper with Superior Drummer for backing drums.

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This recording was an exercise in using just intonation intervals to build out something beyond just melodic improv over a drone. All chords and bass lines were built using harmonics 8-16 (minus the 15th harmonic).

This one was definitely a challenge, with 11 and 13 proving to hold fascinating sounds at the cost of difficulty using them. Interestingly, while I somewhat struggled to find melodies and interesting phrases using this scale, I rarely felt things sounded "out of tune.' It just sounded, well, weird. It's one of those cases where when playing microtonal music I have to remind myself that I shouldn't be surprised when it sounds odd or challenging. Navigating these harmonic waters naturally involves uncharted territory and weird discoveries. That's what makes it fun!

All in all, this was a great way to get out of the drone-based state of mind I usually gravitate toward when working in JI.

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Claire Rose | 2026