This lecture presents the rich history of musicians’ engagement with pitch.

From the tuning systems of Babylon, Pythagoras and Hindustani ragas, through the temperaments of the Baroque and Classical eras and arriving at contemporary electronic, blues, jazz and global practices, we explore how musicians have organised, sliced and manipulated the pitch continuum for expressive effect.

In so doing, we reveal the mechanics that determine the 12 notes of the piano keyboard and the beautiful spectrum of pitch colours between them.

This survey is concerned with music, its composers and the effects that a particular track has on you. This survey has two parts. This survey is entirely optional and anonymous, but any details you share may be discussed in the Gresham lecture The Art and Science of Tuning (18th January 2024): https://www.gresham.ac.uk/whats-on/art-tuning