Q. I am a musician (composer, teacher, performer) curious to know more
about tuning as a resource for creativity. Why should I devote time and
energy to the study of tuning; in otherwords, what's in it for me?

A. If you are a conventionally trained musician (or even self taught)
performing or composing in the Western world it is most likely that your
experience of tuning systems is limited to the 12 tone equal temperament
(12 tet ), such as found on the conventionally tuned piano or the
fretting of a guitar. You might have come across Asian and other musics
which use different systems of tuning  - these will probably have struck
you as exotic or unusual. In otherwords the largest part of your musical
experience is one based on one sole tuning system.

For the best part of two centuries ( there is some debate on this ) 12
tet has reigned supreme in Western "classical" and popular music and has
indeed produced some beautiful music. A close look at modern music of
all genres will reveal much innovation and originality. These
developments are usually in the field of new technologies, perhaps
original orchestrations and occasionally new timbres and mixes of sound.
But virtually all in 12 tet. It is said more and more that we are
continually recycling old resources and that it's all been done before.
Not so with tuning systems.

Apart from the riches of "non-Western" musics there exists an almost
infinite palette of creative colours in new tunings that have been and
are currently under exploration by new "classical" composers, electronic
musicians, jazz musicians and composers and performers of various "neo"
musics, such as neo-Gothic and neo-Ethnic. The tuning field is probably
the most fertile of all musical resources at the moment and represents a
challenge for musicians of any ilk who have the courage to explore new
territory. It can be a lifelong study involving pure mathematics,
physics, computer programming and instrument design or with some
imagination a little knowledge can go a long way. Either way, you learn
something new and your music has new life in it.