An Automated Approach to Tuning

Conventional keyboard or computer tuning systems suffer from either a lack of "natural" harmonic intervals, or the inability to support modulation. In contrast to conventional fixed-pitch systems, a variable-pitch tuning system allows small changes in pitch to obtain desirable intervals within a framework where modulation is possible. Such a system is practical only when the correct pitch variations can be determined without elaborate notation by the composer. To solve this problem, an algorithm is proposed that computes pitch from a conventional score. A modification to the basic algorithm allows a controlled amount of "equal-temperedness," and similar algorithms can be applied to microtonal scales.