Introduction

Quarter Tones

In traditional Western music, the octave is divided into 12 notes, where each note is exactly 100 cents higher than the note below it and 100 cents lower than the note above it. This system is called 12-Tone Equal Temperament, generally referred to as 12-TET. Quarter tones belong to a system called 24-Tone Equal Temperament, or 24-TET, which divides the octave into 24 notes, each of which is 50 cents away from its neighboring notes. 24-TET includes all of the notes of the 12-TET system and all of the notes exactly halfway between them.

24-TET introduces new accidentals:

  • Sesquiflat: -150 cents
  • Semiflat: -50 cents
  • Semisharp: +50 cents
  • Sesquisharp: +150 cents

Similar to sharps and flats, quarter tone accidentals share enharmonic relationships. For example: G (G sesquiflat) is enharmonic with F (F semisharp).

This style of notation was created by Myles Skinner in his quarter tone doctoral dissertation, where he analyzed works by Easley Blackwood, Alois Hába, Charles Ives, and Ivan Wyschnegradsky. Skinner’s style of notation is beginning to emerge as the standard for quarter tone notation.

Composing for Quarter Tones

Quarter tonality presents new melodic and harmonic possibilities that can bring about previously unexplored textures, colors, and atmospheres to music.

This website features a series of apps that are useful for quarter tone composition, including the scale creator, chord creator, and transposer apps.

Brandon Quinn’s book, Introduction to Quarter Tone Composition, introduces composers to the world of 24-TET, the unique types of melodies and harmonies made possible by quarter tones, and provides instructions on how to compose quarter tone music for common instruments.

Quarter Tone Technique for Saxophone

Quarter tone compositions are beginning to appear in the saxophone repertoire. The saxophone is highly capable of playing quarter tone notes, with almost the same fluidity and consistency as the normal notes, throughout nearly the entire 2 ½ octave range.

Quinn’s book, Quarter Tone Technique for Saxophone, introduces multiple fingerings for all playable quarter tones throughout the range, gives studies in quarter tone scales and chords, and ten etudes that fully exploit the quarter tone technique and the unique melodies and harmonies this technique makes possible

Repertoire

This website maintains a growing list of quarter tone composers and their repertoire. The full list can be found on our repertoire page, and individual composers, compositions, or instruments can be found via the search page.

Apps

This website has a series of apps aimed at facilitating quarter tone composition and performance practice, including the chord creator app and quarter tone tuner app. Visit our apps page for the full list of apps we provide.