Spiros Mazis’ Beyond Semitones: Microtonality for Brass (The Tuba) is the first volume of a larger research project dedicated to microtonality across the brass instruments of the orchestra. Initially developed in response to the composer’s own artistic needs, the work has evolved into a practical and systematic resource now made available to performers, composers, and educators.
Presented in a two-colour 181-page edition, the book combines theoretical and practical materials, including extensive tables, musical examples, visual diagrams, and mathematical ratios. These elements are designed to support both analytical understanding and direct application in performance and composition. While the volume focuses on the tuba, its broader aim is to establish the foundation for future volumes covering trombone, euphonium, horn, and trumpet, positioning it as the starting point for a unified microtonal framework for the entire brass family.
A central contribution of the book is its shift away from traditional approaches to microtonality in brass writing. Until now, notes between semitones have largely been approached through approximate techniques such as half-valving or embouchure adjustment, often resulting in inconsistency and limited precision. Mazis instead demonstrates that microtonal intervals can be produced using standard valve combinations and clearly defined fingerings, transforming them from unstable effects into controllable and repeatable musical elements.
The system is applied across the main orchestral tuba types—BB♭, CC, E♭, and F—including both compensating and non-compensating instruments as well as different valve configurations. Each instrument type is supported by dedicated tables and examples, allowing the fingering system to be used consistently in real performance contexts.
For composers, Beyond Semitones offers a structured and reliable framework for writing microtonal music. Through detailed fingering charts and intervallic data, it enables precise control over pitch selection and subdivision, allowing microtonal ideas to be notated and realized with accuracy measured in cents. This reduces dependence on approximation and improves predictability in performance outcomes, making microtonal writing more accessible and practical in contemporary composition.
For performers, the book provides a method to execute microtonal pitches using familiar valve techniques, without requiring instrument modification or unconventional playing methods. Because these pitches are understood as part of the instrument’s natural harmonic possibilities, they are presented as integrated rather than external to standard technique. Clearly indicated fingerings in the musical examples allow performers to approach these intervals with confidence, stability, and precision. The system has been tested in performance contexts and refined in collaboration with professional musicians.
Overall, Beyond Semitones bridges the gap between theoretical microtonal research and practical application. It reframes microtonality in brass instruments not as an experimental extension of technique, but as a precise, structured, and performable system. In doing so, it opens new possibilities for both composition and performance, while laying the groundwork for a broader rethinking of brass intonation across the orchestral tradition.
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