FOR THE FUTURE OF MUSIC

Why does so much music sound the same?

Imagine all artists are told by the art industry that 12 standard colors are enough for their art, and there is never a need to tint or shade or mix colors. Practically speaking, this is the situation which exists in the music world today. 12 equally spaced pitches per octave are the default modern music industry standard, but 12 pitches represent less than 5% of the pitches that the average person is capable of responding to. Research has proven that on average, around 200 different pitches can be heard within one octave, and like unique colors, they all have unique effects; many more than 12 of them sound "good"; in fact, they are all expressive and useful for art. Imagine what kind of new music is possible when all of the pitches are available...

Express yourself more personally.

Hπ Instruments is founded on the premise that you should have the freedom to choose any pitches you want to make music with, not just the 5% the music industry has decided on for you. Hπ products exist to give you this freedom. To hear some examples of music made using Hπ products, use the transport controls in the menubar at the left, or visit the music and videos pages.

Hπ exists to serve the needs of musicians in the area of expressive tuning control for the advancement of musical creativity.

Hi and thanks for visiting. I am the sole proprietor (a.k.a. The Director) of Hπ Instruments. When you do business with Hπ Instruments you are doing business with me directly. I care deeply about what I do, and I guarantee responsive and personal communication and service, as many people around the world can attest. I invent and design all Hπ products, functionally, aesthetically, and physically, and I build them all manually. I program all Hπ software, and I hand-code this website. I am a musician, driven by a love of music and personal creative idealism. Since 1996, I have dedicated myself to a dream, to build tools to explore what I believe to be the most fundamental frontier still existing in music — pitch. First formed as as a doctoral dissertation proposal, over many years I developed a musical system I am now calling the H-System, and I am now realizing this vision in the form of the products I build and sell, with the help of MIDI Gadgets Boutique (MGB), whose products I also sell through this website. I have been privileged to work closely with MGB in Bulgaria, where the internal electronics of each Hπ instrument are designed and manufactured. The electronics are shipped to me in Illinois, where each instrument is then built individually by hand. This process takes time, so each order requires some lead time. The things I sell are not made in a factory; they are made manually, usually by me alone, but sometimes with help from assistants. Hπ instruments are made by hand, and made with heart. It is my sincere hope that an Hπ instrument will inspire your creativity and help you to realize your art. — Aaron Andrew Hunt

The Director's Credentials

  • 2006 - present: Founder and Sole Proprietor of H-Pi Instruments
  • 2002 - 2007: Instructor of Music Theory and Composition at Eastern Illinois University [link]
    • Courses Taught: Music Theory and Aural Training (all levels), Composition, Counterpoint (Bach style), Music Analysis (17th - 19th Century), Electronic Music
  • 2000 - 2002: Independent Scholar, Chicago Illinois
  • 1999: PhD Studies in Music Composition at the University of Minnesota [link]
    • Studied Musics of the Balkan Region with Miriana Lausevic
  • 1999: Instructor of Music Theory and Composition at Eastern Illinois University [link]
  • 1997 - 1999: Freelance teacher, recording engineer, graphic designer and pipe organ tuner
  • 1996: U.S. Patent 5,582,410 Multi-Player Chess Game, Issued December 10, 1996. [link]
  • 1996: Pipe Organ Technician with Goulding & Wood, Inc., Indianapolis Indiana [link]
    • Pipe organ tuning, temperament setting, installation and maintanence
    • Woodworking, electrical wiring / soldering
  • 1994 - 1996: Masters Degree in Music Composition from the College-Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinatti [link]
    • Winner of the 1995 AGO/Holtkamp composition prize: Fantasia and Fugue on St. Theodulph for pipe organ [link]
    • Composition Teachers: Samuel Adler, Sylvia Bodorova, John McCabe, Marta Ptaszynska, and Allen Sapp (RIP 1999)
    • Organ: David Mulbury, Kevin Ballard, Leon Couch III; Viol: James Lambert
    • Thesis: Diatonic Inversional Theory
  • 1990 - 1994: Bachelors Degree in Music Composition from Eastern Illinois University [link]
    • Composition Teachers: Paul Hayden and Peter Hesterman
    • Percussion: Johnny Lee Lane, Piano: W. David Hobbs, Organ: Herman Taylor, Horn: Burtin Hardin, Violin and Viola: Cindy Moyer and Cynthia Baker
  • 1982 - 1990: Private studies in...
    • computer programming with Richard Meiss at his home
    • percussion with Richard Paul at the Paul-Mueller Studio
    • mixed media with Jennifer Sugarman at the Indianapolis Art League (now the Indianapolis Art Center) [link]
  • Professional Affiliations:
    • ASCAP writer member since 1996 [link]
  • Guest Lectures: [booking]
    • University of Illinois, May 2009: The Emancipation of Pitch: Xentone [link]
    • Sibelius Academy, March 2009: The Emancipation of Pitch [link]
    • UK Microfest 3, March 2009: H-Pi Instruments Tuning Software [link]
    • UC Santa Barbara, November 2007: The Emancipation of Pitch, sponsored by CREATE, MAT, and the Third Corwin Chair in Composition, Professor Clarence Barlow
    • London Metropolitan University, March 2007: H-Pi Instruments Tuning Software [link]
    • UK Microfest 2, March 2007: For The Future of Music: Bringing Microtonality Into The Mainstream [link]
    • UK Microfest 1, October 2005 (Keynote): Megastaff: a Notation for All Possible Pitches [link]
    • Music Theory Midwest, 1999: A Systematic Theory of Infinite Harmonics [link]

  H-Pi Instruments is a legally registered business in the State of Illinois.