Tolga Zafer Ozdemir's musical journey took root at Marmara University, Istanbul Technical University, and the University of Memphis in the USA, where he studied piano, music theory, and composition. His path was shaped by the influential teachings of Faris Akarsu, Kamran Ince, Ilhan Usmanbas, and Fernando Benadon.
He dedicated several years to imparting his knowledge as an Associate Professor to the next generation of musicians at the University of Memphis, Akdeniz University, and Bilgi University, cultivating a dynamic learning environment.
His compositional output is diverse, spanning intimate chamber music pieces to large-scale symphony orchestra works, employing both traditional and electronic instruments. His music has found an international audience, with performances on all five continents, earning him various accolades.
Tolga's approach to music seeks to bridge different cultures and time periods from around the world. As a perpetual explorer and researcher in music theory and algorithmic composition techniques, he conceived "Tritonet", a unique musical tool designed for both educational and performative applications.
Currently, he brings his wealth of expertise to Native Instruments, where he designs Kontakt instruments and develops a harmonious engine, further augmenting the versatility and user experience of their offerings.
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Likya Dede
The little girl is out of sleep. She asks Likya Dede to tell her a story that she has not heard before. Likya Dede accepts with one condition: At the end of the story she must find the name of the story and the characters. She happily accepts the challenge and Likya Dede beings his story about a man and a woman.
Through out the story he talks about:
How they exist,
How they become lovers,
How they become one,
How they become extinguish,
How they become permanent.
The piece is symbolizing the rite of passage for the little girl. At the end of the story, she will find the name of the characters.
The source of the Likya Dede stories are based on Anatolia. His main aim is to present the wholeness of the cultures which had been shaped in thousands of years, by many civilizations.
Likya Dede is a modern story composed for dance, narrators, symphony orchestra and ethnic instruments. Little girl and Likya Dede acts during twelve consecutive movements. A monolog of Likya Dede pursues the dialogue and music continues.
Story and Music : Tolga Zafer Özdemir
Libretto : Ruteba Doğan
Inspiration : Emre Özkan
Graphics : Asu Ceren
MIDI Symphony Orchestra: Oğuzcan Şehiraltı
Kanun: Esra Berkman
Percussions: Ömer Avcı
Percussion 2 : Kemal Yücel
Saz : Alican Karapınar
Violin : Metehan Dada
Clarinet : Mert Can Selçuk
Ney : Ahmet Cemal Öksüz
Vocals : Esra Kayıkçı
Kemane : Ruşen Can Acet
Simple Web version
Use left buttons to choose the tonality and press notes to play the root chords
Tritonet Concept
Tritonet offers a revolutionary approach to understanding and implementing musical harmony, serving as an innovative musical abacus. Its focus lies in cultivating a deep intuitive grasp of harmony, thereby democratizing the access to music theory learning.
Evoking the spirit of the traditional Circle of Fifths but thrust into the 21st century, Tritonet opens up a plethora of possibilities for employing music theory. It not only honors the traditional principles but also invites exploration into uncharted musical territories.
Tritonet establishes an integrated harmonic network within Ableton, offering users a centralized control point for their music's harmony. It enables the creation, reconstruction, and extraction of harmonic structures from various musical sources, which can then be applied instantly to one's own music—an ability that proves highly useful on stage. Through the functionality of "Dynamic MIDI Mapping," Tritonet facilitates the tuning of the entire MIDI studio, empowering users to play any MIDI instrument with ease.
Today's music scene often overemphasizes the artistic facet of music, often overlooking the fundamental quantitative aspects and aesthetic-independent harmony, a perspective strongly emphasized in the Quadrivium. Tritonet seeks to reawaken interest in these aspects, spotlighting the inherent ratios and symmetries that form the core of musical harmony.
Historically, mastering musical harmony took over a decade in the medieval era. The introduction of the Guidonian hand method in the 12th century was a game-changer, serving as a visual aid that reduced the learning duration to approximately two years. Emerging a millennium later, Tritonet, as an interactive visual aid, endeavors to drastically minimize the time needed to internalize musical harmony.
"The Tritonet Approach to Music Theory", a textbook authored by Tolga Zafer, provides a comprehensive understanding of this innovative approach.
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