Tunings and Temperament
“The Musical Scale is not one, not ‘natural,’ nor even founded necessarily on the law of the constitution of musical sound … but very diverse, very artificial, and very capricious.”
— Alexander Ellis, On the Musical Scale of Various Nations, 1885
Jump to the subject of temperament
Nyx offers the following tunings:
The recordings found below are quite dry so you can hear the tones clearly (not possible with beautifying reverb). Please imagine the possibilities of the scales on the flute, and perhaps listen to compositions in a scale that piques your interest.
The minor pentatonic scale
The default tuning is to the minor pentatonic scale. Around 70% of Native-American style flutes are tuned this way. This scale is a great fit for the physical characteristics of this style of flute, and is forgiving for the beginner - almost any combination of notes sounds good. Subtle and versatile, this is the scale we never grow tired of. Available for all flutes.
The diatonic major scale
AKA the ionian mode. This is your familiar major scale, though seldom heard on a NAS flute. Available for lowest flutes only.
The diatonic natural minor scale
Why ‘natural’ minor? It is the relative minor (the 6th, or aeolian mode) of its major counterpart, thus contains the same notes. Available for the mid A and lower flutes only.
The hijaz
AKA the double harmonic, gypsy, byzantine…Enter the intoxicating sound of the middle-east. The flattened 2nd sets the tone. Available for lowest and mid-range flutes.
The Hungarian minor
AKA the double harmonic minor. This is a harmonic minor with a raised 4th. Dark and fascinating. Available for lowest flutes only.
The major pentatonic scale
Very common in popular music styles - I’m sure hearing the scale will bring to mind at least one well-known tune. Available for all flutes.
The sakura pentatonic
Perhaps the scale most evocative of Japan. Immortalized in the West by the famous piece ‘Sakura Theme and Variations’. Notably, this scale lacks a 3rd, but the flat 6 and flat 2 give it a minor color. Available for all flutes.
the hirajoshi pentatonic
Another delicious scale from Japan, this one perhaps a little more familiar to Western ears with its minor 3rd and minor 6. Available for all flutes
About Temperament and why should we care?
‘Temperament‘ refers to the distance in pitch between intervals in the scale, and how those distances are determined. Without temperament, there is no tuning system.
12 tone equal temperament is ubiquitous—this is the way Western instruments have been tuned since circa 1850. In this system the octave is the only mathematically pure harmonic - every other interval is a little out of tune. Why is it so popular? Simple: Equal temperament allows us to play our instruments in every key. This great blessing, however, comes with a curse. We are never truly in tune, being a little out of tune in every key.
Because many players see the NAS flute as a vehicle for solo, meditative playing, we offer just intonation. In this tuning, the intervals are determined by the harmonic series of the fundamental tone. This is not arbitrary - it is nature, the physics and mathematics of the natural world.
The difference is audible. The downside is, the flute will not play well in other keys. So what? Our flutes are pretty much confined to one key anyway, so why should this matter? It doesn’t - unless you are playing with others or to a jam track. Then there will be weird dissonances.
Thus, just intonation is best for the solo player. Here is a clip on youtube which compares the two visually: just intonation vs equal temperament
The 432hz tuning (actually A4 = 432hz):
Tuning to a microtone below concert pitch is popular. Many consider this to be the ‘true’ tuning, in harmony with the resonance of the planet. It is suited for solo, meditative players - or could be played in a group of instruments also tuned to this frequency. (Flutes tuned to 432 hz are not compatible with standard tuning and they can’t be retuned.)
—How does just intonation compare to tuning to 432hz?
The A = 432hz tuning simply flattens every tone by 8 hz. You are still in ‘artificial’ equal temperament.
And yes, you can order a flute in 432hz with just intonation —that’s doable.
— Just intonation is available in all keys and registers.
if you’d like your flute tuned to any of the options above, please leave a message.