12TET (12 tone equal temprament) is a system which divides the octave (eg. C3-C4) in 12 equal parts and it’s the system used on many instruments, especially in western music. Maybe I’m getting bored of it bc of the fact that I’ve probably heard every possible combination of notes in this system. The thing i hate about it is how limiting it is, because in between even a semitone there’s a world of possibilities and i wanna study and use microtones. The thing is guitars are caged in a 12 tone system, as many western instruments are. My point? I WANT A FRETLESS GUITAR/INSTRUMENT I WANNA DISCOVER MICROTONAL CHORD CHANGES bit of a rant
If we’re talking about stringed instruments, there are all kinds of different tunings that can be easily applied that open up different scales.
Less “on the fly” tunable instruments exist in order to play music written to use the most preferred scale. And then more music is written using that scale because it can be easily performed. Bit of a vicious circle, which ends up creating a cultural familiarity with a specific scale, as well as unfamiliarity with other scales.
Go check out King Gizzard.