Intercuning

Intercuning is a term used to describe the practice of coordinating multiple tuning systems within a single performance, enabling collaboration across musical traditions. It involves negotiating pitch centers, intonation curves, and timbral consequences when players or instruments from different tuning approaches come together.

The term is a neologism with limited documentation and appears mainly in discussions of contemporary music, ethnomusicology, and instrument design. There is no unified standard definition, and usage varies by context and author.

In practice, intercuning can involve agreeing on a common reference pitch for a group, employing flexible intonation to accommodate diverse scales, using electronic tuners or microtonal keyboards, and composing with tunings that can be reconciled by performers. It often requires rehearsal and a listening-based negotiation among participants.

Applications and implications of intercuning are most evident in world-music fusion, experimental ensembles, and some academic studies on perception and cognition of altered pitch systems. The approach can yield new timbres and harmonic textures, but it also presents challenges for listener perception, instrument compatibility, and ensemble cohesion.

See also microtonality, intonation, tuning systems, ethnomusicology.