In tuning (and in life?) there is a perpetual friction between the pursuit of simplicity and the pursuit of symmetry.

That sounds real philosophical, but it’s not.

Rather, quite literally: do I choose to compose music with a scale divided up in the simplest way, or in the most symmetrical way?

I bet you thought these were one and the same! I know I did. Turns out this very practical question of mathematics has a far-reaching impact on the nature of musical expression. Recently, exploring this question has been a very fruitful starting point for all my own composition.

That balance between simplicity and symmetry was the seed of the new piece I’m sharing today. Excited to write more about that in the coming weeks.

For now, hope you enjoy the music. If you do, please share!

Also, listen to Study #1 here:

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