CHAPTER 2 - Single Sounds

Equidistant Microtones; Disjunct Microtonal Segments; One-Octave Microtonal Scales; Non-Equidistant Microtones

Microtones

The clarinet has long been capable of producing microtones smaller than quarter-tones, but has rarely been asked to do so. It's full range of microtonal possibilities has been largely undocumented. In fact, accurate microtonal segments of intervals smaller than thirty-second tones are often possible and quite easy to produce.

Equidistant Microtones

Equidistant microtones are represented in Table #10; quarter, sixth, eighth, twelfth, and sixteenth tones. These microtones are arranged proportionally on the page, both horizontally and vertically, in order to permit convenient comparisons. Horizontal brackets ( [ ] ) mark the length of uninterrupted scale segments, since equidistant pitches are not always available.

TABLE #10 - Equidistant Quarter, Sixth, Eighth, Twelfth & Sixteenth Tones

In addition to the illustrated conjunct segments that are technically easy to produce in a legato fashion, several disjunct segments of eighth and quarter-tones are particularly easy to negotiate.

TABLE #11 - Disjunct Microtonal Segments

One-Octave Microtonal Scales

Scales can be formed from microtones that present fascinating pitch or timbre relationships when written for clarinet. Several examples follow which have been arbitrarily chosen because of their bright or dark timbre qualities or symmetrical pitch patterns. All are fairly easy for the clarinetist to master.

Example #92 presents a ten-note scale in the chalumeau register that exploits dark timbres.

Example #92

An equidistant scale of sixteen 3/8 tones is represented in Example #93.

Example #93

Thirty-two note scales, based on condensed interval patterns of the octatonic scale (alternating whole and half steps), are shown in Examples 94 and 95. Example 94 is arranged in an eighth-quarter-quarter-eighth pattern. Example 95 is arranged in an eighth-quarter pattern.

Example #94

Example #95

Microtonal Scale (not equidistant)

The following table presents practical, conjunct microtones for clarinet according to pitch from G-sharp 2 to B quarter-tone sharp 6. The relative space between fingerings corresponds to actual pitch distance, and each system (line) represents one quarter-tone.

TABLE #12 - Microtonal Scale

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