Academic work
“Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.”
The Poorly Tempered Clavier (2023)
Abstract: Modern Western Music (MWM) of all genres is immersed in the sounds of 12-Tone Equal Temperament (12-TET), a musical system dividing an octave into 12 equal intervals. The choice to divide an octave in this way is by no means arbitrary, but it also is by no means the only way to do so. Many historical western musicians as well as modern and historical non-western musicians have used alternatives to 12-TET to create sounds distinct from---but just as valid as---MWM. This project provides a technical, historical, and ethnomusicological review of tuning and temperament as a concept and explores ways to interact with sounds outside of 12-TET in the modern world.
Group theory in Musical Harmony (2023)
Abstract: The study of group theory can be used to describe and understand western harmonic structures in profound ways. This study will present research on the extent to which this can be done and the benefits of doing so for the mathematician and musician. The shared properties between mathematical groups and musical harmony can help analyze many structures within western music, giving an effective tool to describe and inform musical innovation.
