Vol. 2. Descending Equi-heptatonic Circuits
Volume 2 offers a solution to the puzzle of the hole-boring of Classical-era auloi. The positions of holes in archaeological finds do not match the 12-tone octave-division of Western keyboards; instead, they match the functionally equidistant 7-tone tuning of xylophones in West Africa, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. The hypothesis presented in Descending Equi-heptatonic Circuits is that Classical-era players could modulate extensively using embouchure adjustment, without any bronze mechanisms. By tuning auloi to an average scale, the amount of pitch-bending required to modulate is kept to a minimum.
Demonstration of equi-heptatonic hole-boring (from 13 m 31s)
Practising this ‘Olympian’ composition