Xenharmonic Reference - User contributions [en]

User:Kaiveran/A discussion of partial skip-frettings

2026-05-22T11:50:22Z

Kaiveran: rawrf

In the original article on skip fretting, Jeff Brown mentions the possibility that this procedure could be applied to an instrument only ''partially'' – that is, retaining all the frets in the lower octave or register, while skipping some in the higher one to ease playability.

While no examples were extant at the time of his original writing on the subject, the microtonal band Angine de Poitrine has since gone viral for (among other things) their 24edo doubleneck bass-guitar combo, which is visibly skip-fretted in its upper-registers. This practical exploration of partial skip-fretting will address that elephant in the room first, before expanding and applying the concepts to different tunings.

== 24edo ==

=== Non-isomorphic, partial skip-2 (the AdP approach) ===
The case of Khn de Poitrine's instrument is especially notable because (as far as I know) they play in standard EADG[BE] tuning, and the cardinality of the EDO and the gap is not co-prime.

[elucidate]

This all has the net effect of making the keys ''already found in 12edo'' to be the most practical to play in, by far – although those keys will all have a decently-sized zone where all 24 intervals are available. For AdP's style of music, this can and does work quite well! If someone wants more freedom of modulation, however, they will likely be more interested in an ''isomorphic'' system, which will be explored in an upcoming section.

=== Guitar/bass asymmetry, & feeling out minimum fret clearances ===
Khn's instrument is also notable in that the two necks actually ''differ'' in where the break point is between regular and skip fretting. On the guitar side it is at 15\12 (or a minor 10th up), whereas on the bass side it is 13\12 (or minor 9th).

[go into possible reasons, e.g tessituras and string gauges]

[note implications of "border keys" differing]

[note the specific ~3/2 ratio of minimum fret clearances and posit your own standard]

=== Isomorphic variants ===
[~3 tuning primarily]

== 31edo ==
[my turn!]

User talk:Kaiveran

2026-05-22T06:48:47Z

Kaiveran:

== Do not add scala files ==

Do not add scala files to XenReference. (Also, do not add entire pages just for single scales with no theory info.) (Also also, title pages in a readable manner.)

-- [[User:Vector|Vector]] ([[User talk:Vector|talk]]) 18:11, 18 May 2026 (UTC)

: Apologies. I was not sober and somehow the use of the humble text editor to urgently save a ''text'' file didn't occur to me. Is "no Scala files" a blanket policy? If so, I wouldn't even include it as a 31EDO subpage, as the most recent edit has done, and just nominate it for deletion. I plan to work on a page discussing this and other partial skip-fretting schemes in detail (where these scala files are used to physically model the fretting scheme, hence the previously included link.) [[User:Kaiveran|Kaiveran]] ([[User talk:Kaiveran|talk]]) 06:48, 22 May 2026 (UTC)

Tempered-octave 31et skip-fretting

2026-05-18T07:52:33Z

Kaiveran: Created page with "<pre> ! 127zpi-sfguitar.scl ! 127zpi, skip-fretting {2,9\31} in upper register 47 ! 38.736691 77.473382 116.210073 154.946764 193.683455 232.420147 271.156838 309.893529 348.63022 387.366911 426.103602 464.840293 503.576984 542.313675 581.050366 619.787058 658.523749 697.26044 735.997131 774.733822 813.470513 852.207204 890.943895 929.680586 968.417277 1007.153968 1045.89066 1084.627351 1123.364042 1162.100733 1200.837424 1239.574115 1317.047497 1394.520879 1471.994262 1..."

<pre>
! 127zpi-sfguitar.scl
!
127zpi, skip-fretting {2,9\31} in upper register
47
!
38.736691
77.473382
116.210073
154.946764
193.683455
232.420147
271.156838
309.893529
348.63022
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464.840293
503.576984
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619.787058
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929.680586
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2014.307937
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</pre>

== Possible implementations ==
* [https://acspike.github.io/FretFind2D/src/fretfind.html#showFretboardEdges=on&showStrings=on&extendFrets=on&showBoundingBox=on&showMetas=on&len=25&lenF=25&lenL=27&pDist=0.296&ipDist=0.5&nutWidth=2.2&bridgeWidth=3.3&oE=0.09375&oN=0.09375&oB=0.09375&oL=0.09375&oF=0.09375&oNL=0.09375&oNF=0.09375&oBL=0.09375&oBF=0.09375&root=12&scl=!+127zpi-sfguitar.scl%0A!%0A127zpi%2C+skip-fretting+%7B2%2C9%5C31%7D+in+upper+register%0A47%0A!%0A38.736691%0A77.473382%0A116.210073%0A154.946764%0A193.683455%0A232.420147%0A271.156838%0A309.893529%0A348.63022%0A387.366911%0A426.103602%0A464.840293%0A503.576984%0A542.313675%0A581.050366%0A619.787058%0A658.523749%0A697.26044%0A735.997131%0A774.733822%0A813.470513%0A852.207204%0A890.943895%0A929.680586%0A968.417277%0A1007.153968%0A1045.89066%0A1084.627351%0A1123.364042%0A1162.100733%0A1200.837424%0A1239.574115%0A1317.047497%0A1394.520879%0A1471.994262%0A1549.467644%0A1626.941026%0A1704.414408%0A1781.88779%0A1859.361173%0A1936.834555%0A2014.307937%0A2091.781319%0A2169.254701%0A2246.728083%0A2324.201466%0A2401.674848&numFrets=47&numStrings=9&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&t%5B%5D=0&il%5B%5D=25&il%5B%5D=25.5&il%5B%5D=26&il%5B%5D=26.5&il%5B%5D=27&il%5B%5D=27.5&il%5B%5D=28&il%5B%5D=28.5&il%5B%5D=29&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&ig%5B%5D=0&u=in&sl=multiple&ns=equal&scale=scala&o=equal 9-string 25-27" multiscale] (tuned C2 to E4)

User:Kaiveran

2026-05-18T07:48:35Z

Kaiveran: Created page with "the alien foxcat is here"

the alien foxcat is here