Yes! I discovered Harry Partch while researching Johnston. There's a decent documentary on YouTube (though the sound quality is terrible - it's a VHS rip).

Johnston studied with Partch, but decided rather than maintaining his warehouse of handmade instruments, he wanted to write music that could be played on traditional instruments - but those poor string players, man!

Strangely enough I'm rather tone-deaf. My singing can kill small animals, and I can't tune a guitar without one of those electric sensor things. But these carefully produced harmonies really do have a unique effect on me.