Slap 19 (for Solo Microtonal Classical Guitar)

Awarded Second Prize in the 6th International Microtonal Guitar Competition (2022), Microtonal Guitar Institute (Istanbul Technical University).

Slap 19 is primarily based around the notes found in the Arabic form of maqam Rast. Here, all microtonal pitches (i.e. scale-degrees 3 [mi] and 7 [ti]) have been set to exact quartertones; this results in the piece sounding neither explicitly ‘major’ nor ‘minor’ once harmonized (particularly to the Western ear). Players are invited, however, to adjust the tuning/placement of the microtones according to their personal/music- cultural preference. Slap 19 makes use of a novel microtonal scordatura – C[6] A[5] D[4] G[3] B[2] Ed[1] – and showcases contemporary 'slap' guitar techniques.