Xenharmonic Reference:Tuning system article format

This page is an extension of XenBase:Guidelines. It is expected that that page has been read first.

Articles about tuning systems are some of the most important on this wiki. According to the wiki's mission statement, the ultimate purpose of such an article is to serve as a basic guide to using that tuning system for composition. An individual tuning system must, therefore, be presented as a coherent structure with unique rules and particularities that govern the flow of composition in that system. Not all tuning systems have independent value for composition, despite whatever value they might have in relation to other structures or in their theoretical properties; these should not receive dedicated individual articles.

Further, in xenharmonic music, the choice of a tuning system to use or focus on, out of the vast array that exist and the variety of approaches to tuning, is itself one of the most important compositional choices. When a tuning system is explicated, then, it must be stated what situations or preferences would justify using that particular tuning system in comparison to others.

With that in mind, and for the further sake of consistency, format specifications and recommendations for presenting different types of tuning systems are described below.

In general

All articles should begin with an introduction section. In the case of tuning systems, the introduction needs to include an overview of the basic harmonic and melodic structures of the tuning system. Verbally explaining the way harmonies interact within the tuning and how melodic movement is induced in the tuning's scaleforms is a minimum, but the more can be succinctly stated about how these might dictate compositional practice, the better. In other words, listing out commas or cent values is not a serviceable introduction.

[TBD]