Talk:List of quarter tone pieces

Removed: Uncited

• Aphex Twin

Selected Ambient Works Volume II (1994); the track "02 [radiator]" features a quarter tone tuning in the basso ostinato.{{Citation needed|date=November 2011}}

I removed the above as uncited. Hyacinth (talk) 08:46, 21 April 2012 (UTC)

Jeffrey Harrington

About the pieces I added yesterday. The Gann does list Acid Bach, in fact, in the first sentence of the article. The other pieces were noted to say, 'citation needed' but the scores are published through IMSLP. Verification that they do in fact have quartertones are a simple manner of looking at the score. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 78.248.60.25 (talk) 14:50, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

Of course the Gann article lists Acid Bach. What it does not do is confirm that the piece uses quarter tones. Instead, what Gann says is that it "plinks its way through microtonal melodies like banjo music somehow smeared by a wet hand". This could mean just about any sort of non-standard tuning. "Just looking at the score" in cases like this usually requires an explanation of non-standard symbols. I have only looked at one of the pieces (the one for solo cello), and while I would guess that the backward flats probably indicate quarter tones, there is no explicit mention made in the score to this effect. Perhaps the other two scores are different.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 17:53, 13 November 2012 (UTC)

That is standard quartertone notation. It isn't necessary to explain that to performers these days, but I think Mr. Kohl, you know that, as we've run into each other before on Usenet back in the days. I can send you links to performance announcements for Song of R'lyeh and Quarter Dollar Tones (and a YouTube for Quarter Dollar Tones where you can hear the quartertones) if you're really interested. The problem is that if the composer says the score has quartertones in it, and I'm not just some amateur throwing up edits, than where is the issue? My pieces get performed all the time, but I am not in academia so it's rare that they get mentioned in academic journals. The reviews I get don't often mention the techniques I use. I'm sure your intent isn't prejudiced against non-academics, but it's troubling to see how your level of citation can be reached any time soon. All of the pieces I put up have either been performed or are in rehearsal. Thanks for your patience with my idiocy! Idealord (talk) 16:55, 14 November 2012 (UTC)

While I trust my ears implicitly, Wikipedia unfortunately does not recognize them as a reliable source, so it doesn't matter what I can or cannot hear in your music. I think the quarter-tone notations in your scores might be sufficient (although I'm not sure how "standard" any notation for quarter tones might be, these are the symbols I used myself in my days as a quarter-tone composer, but I always made sure my performers knew what I intended by them), and if you have published statements in reliable sources somewhere, including score prefaces, to the effect that you use quarter tones, then that should be good enough for Wikipedia. Keep in mind, however, that edits to Wikipedia articles can be made by anyone, and anyone can claim to be anyone at all, which has caused serious trouble in the past, and is the reason for the Wikipedia policy about reliable sources. This verification process can be a frustrating business. I frequently come across verified but incorrect statements, and it can be infuriating not to be able to find a source to set the facts straight.—Jerome Kohl (talk) 18:28, 14 November 2012 (UTC)