Campus #28 „Untwelving“

Introduction and tour of the exhibition of microtonal instruments

Can a person sing in two voices at once? Overtone singing makes exactly that audible: through deliberate sound shaping, individual overtones emerge from the voice, opening up new sonic spaces.

In this workshop, singer and overtone singer Anna-Maria Hefele offers an introduction to this fascinating vocal technique. Participants will learn to perceive overtones in their own voices and make them audible. This cultivates a keen sense of timbre, resonance, and intonation—and provides direct access to one’s own voice. The workshop is open to all singing enthusiasts—from curious beginners to professional musicians. No prior experience is required.

What happens when you move away from the 12 equal-tempered steps? Discover microtonal scales that are structurally coherent—real scales with real modes, real chords, and real key changes. Structures that are just as rich as the diatonic ones, but sound like nothing you’ve heard before.

At this open, hands-on workshop station, Peter Jung demonstrates “PitchGrid”—a framework that reveals the hidden two-dimensional structure behind the diatonic scale and generalizes it to more complex MOS scales. This opens up a vast space of microtonal tunings that can be explored and played, offering a new perspective on what makes EDOs so special. Come on over, grab an isomorphic controller, turn a knob, and transform the familiar diatonic terrain into alien soundscapes where the rules of harmony are turned upside down and everything sounds new.

Here’s what you can try:

• Start with the familiar—think of the diatonic scale as a point on a two-dimensional map, then turn a knob and watch it transform into something new

• Explore the entire space of MOS scales and EDOs on isomorphic controllers—from Mavila to Porcupine to structures that haven’t been named yet

• Discover how a single EDO can contain multiple MOS scales—the 22-EDO alone includes the diatonic scale, Porcupine, and Orwell, each with its own modes, chords, and character

• Try out inverted tuning—reshape the partials of a sound to fit the scale, transform dissonances into consonances, and make exotic tunings sound familiar

No prior knowledge required. Whether you’re an experienced microtonalist or just curious about what lies beyond the 12 tones—come by, play along, ask questions, and take a piece of the microtonal map home with you.