What If We Had 31 Notes Instead of 12?

How does music theory change if we had 31 notes instead of 12? Intro into 31EDO music theory! Ever wonder what kind of awesome chords and harmony we are missing out on by sticking to the rigid standards of 12 tone equal temperament? 12TET has had its time in the sun, now its time for it to step aside for 31TET! Join me in todays exploration of 31 tone equal temperament. Today I go over how to construct new chords like the neutral chord, the Subminor chord, and the supermajor chord! These microtonal chords gives us so much freedom when it comes to building unique harmony, microtonal chord progressions, and unique xenharmonic music. I hope this microtonal music lesson gives you the tools to allow you to easily start making microtonal and xenharmonic music for yourself.

Here are some 31EDO or 31TET resources:
- Awesome microtonal resource for 31 notes, includes a standalone 31TET keyboard, list of intervals in 31 equal temperament, and notes on enharmonic equivelants, ambiguous harmony and how to do notation with 31 EDO

-Xenharmonic Wiki on 31 including interesting bits of music theory on the Neutral circle-of-fifths, Sagittal notation, and 31TET scales.

[LeviMcClain]

Corrections:
The EDOstep notation is slightly off on this one:
0:48 should be: 0 10 18
1:05 should be: 0 8 18
2:02 should be: 0 11 18

[emmarose]

The supermajor chord could add so much depth to a song/film. I love the sound

[gabeisawesome]

The sub-minor chord made me feel like I've been hearing fake minor chords my whole life. Not exaggerating.

[OpossumYT]

Hearing all these cool new chords makes me want to make a video game that uses these microtonal chords. Definitely gets my creativity flowing.

[Roititouan]

31 TET sounds surprisingly so deep and touching. I started to study by myself microtonals music. This will give me a lot of homeworks!

[leordiohedlvr]

Does anyone find music just overwhelmingly awesome? Idk, man. I knew microtones existed, but in 1:37 my jaw dropped to the ground. The way music works is impressive and beautiful.

[TheFastmozg]

The most interesting thing in this video is not the microtonal. The most interesting thing is that 2-3 days ago I was thinking about it. Literally about how the chords will be built and what the theory will be if you break the octave into smaller intervals. I thought about it and didn't search for anything on the Internet and didn't tell anyone out loud. And YouTube helpfully slipped me this video. MYSTERIOUS

[bontrom]

I feel "sold" on this idea, and after almost 40 years on trombone in 12edo It is refreshing to hear new things and maybe try them...I mean super major and sub minor are intriguing and the neutral chord is already accessible in blues. I wonder about the circle of fifths now. what harmonic language comes about? Look forward to more of your videos.

[jyotektosgaimur]

finally another 31edo enjoyer. I genuinely enjoy using this microtonal scale, it's very trippy

[abhishirsath]

I know very little about music, but you made me think...

[AramaxTheHuman]

Really great explanation for beginners!

[purplrshadowyay]

1:37 is perfect. Major feels happy, minor feels sad but neutral? It feels like nothing...
could be perfect for a horror soundtrack imo

[dissonanceparadiddle]

THAT'S THE GOOD STUFF RIGHT THERE!!!

[Kamil-B]

I've been experimenting with deviding octave into 15 equal steps. It was fun!
For example there is two different tritones, which resolve differently.

[dyaxek]

This actually broke me I am a travel king musician and have a major in music theory and this is a concept I didn’t even know was possible

[basstabs]

That's was THE BEST video I saw about 31 tet untill now ! That's will be listed on my graduation conclusion work ! Great job man !

[mateuszgraczyk]

When you gave the superminor and supermajor chords I got deep Omori vibes

[hamphrey]

The supermajor chord sounds much happier than the major chord but at the same time it's kinda unsettling, although it could be because I'm not used to the sound of 31edo yet.

[arn]

never thought i would hear pleasing sounds outside of 12 et chromatic scale
thanks for this
i'll definitely be looking more into this

[Nemo_Anom]

I would really love a deeper explanation of these different harmonic structures--especially of supermajors and subminors, especially in the context of 19 tet/edo. And, I don't know much music theory!!