o_O It looks as if 2 people could play it at once. Can you please explain why its called a quarter tone? It seems to have a lot of keys...

Woah, quite the instrument there. I'm just wondering: How many hands do you need to play that one xD!

So your saying theres 4 tones for 1 note? Or 4 tones for 2 semitones? o_O That seems really weird.

It is essentially two bores, lengths causing a quarter tone difference, with a vent that switches the bore, causing the quarter tone.

So if they played a chromatic scale it'd sound more like a glissando then anything? I can't imagine all that much music has quarter tones written into it. Hmm very interesting. I once read somewhere about a piano with like 16th tones... I can't imagine the notes sound too much different xD.

I wonder if something like that would be used more towards experimental/eastern music?

A very unusual instrument indeed, it would probably take me a long time just to get used to the German system, let alone playing that one.

A Romero system clarinet:
http://www.jayeaston.com/galleries/clarinet_family/clarinet_p_4_clarinets.html

Wow, Romero looks hard. Does anyone play Albert system clarinets? They look symilar to sax/oboe systems of fingering?

Yeah, that's quite the instrument, I wonder if anyone plays them anymore.

Nice... now I know what that is. My school has one up on a wall in a glass case. My band director didn't even know what one it is.

Zoom I was slightly surprised with your answer above, but you are probably more right than I want you to be.

Experimental?

I don't want to think that quarter tone pieces are that experimental. We played a lot of quarter tone pieces in college, albeit we were a unique college as far as a music program goes. And Zoom you know Dr. Childs wrote quite a bit of coloring notes in his pieces, quarter-tones and more.

Every clarinet player should get a hold of some "Clarinet and Friends" recordings; Barney Childs and Phillip Rehfeldt.

And now that I write this and am thinking about it; I don't hear too many quarter-tone pieces on recitals anymore. Hmmm, it just didn't take hold. Perhaps this next generation of musicians and listeners will like it better. Everyone start practicing your quarter-tones !!!!!!!!!

Hehe! I wonder how they write quarter tones..

There are different symbols for each.

http://www.braeburn.co.uk/resources/qtones.pdf

Wow, that's really neat. I wonder if I can play quarter tones on my oboe!

Get your tuner out and start trying different alternate fingerings. Then write down the ones that work. As you close off the instrument more and more you can put the oboe bell between your legs just behind the knees to make it longer and affect the pitches.

I will send an e-mail off to Rehfledt and see if he has a fingering chart for Oboe. He's got a few for Clarinet. It might be awhile until he gets back to me if he is away in the mountians which he might be based on the summer heat.