What instruments are good for playing microtonal music and why? Can synthesizers be a useful tool for exploring xenharmonics? And what microtonal scales would be good for beginners to start experimenting? Other topics include: collecting musical instruments, kalimbas and mavila temperament, how well instruments can keep their tuning, hammered dulcimer tuning, building your own instruments (Kraig Grady, Harry Partch etc.), the importance of microtonal guitars, fretless vs microtonal frets, fixed-pitch vs free-pitch, rearranging keyboard layouts, microtonal approaches to orchestral instruments, multiphonics, free synths that support microtuning, using multiple synths vs using only one powerhouse synth, tuning files, tuning software (Scala, Scale Workshop, Tonescape, alt-tuner and others), re-tuning just intonation on the fly using alt-tuner, showing love to developers who support microtonal scales (Pianoteq, Dorico, etc.), and microtonal notation. SEVISH and Stephen also each pick their favorite "top 5" tunings for beginners, discussing notation, performance, chains of fifths, and the harmonic series. Music Intro: Tony Dubshot - Mu (Downtown Atlantis, 5edo) Outro: Randy Winchester - Five Hemispheres (Two, 15edo)

Support us on Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/nowandxen Follow http://nowandxen.libsyn.com https://twitter.com/now_xen https://www.facebook.com/nowxen/ Subscribe RSS: http://nowandxen.libsyn.com/rss iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/n… Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1mhnGsH… Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/nowxen Twitter: https://twitter.com/now_xen Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nowxen/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnmYNMpemAIq8DnK5HJ9gsA