microtones are not a big deal in themselves--they're just pitches that fall between steps in an equal temperment tuning (equal temperment=standard piano tuning). any other tuning system necessarily involves microtones. a tuning system is internally consistent/coherent, so you can just work with a system and learn its possibilities. and these systems are legion.
http://bostonmicrotonalsociety.org/
here's some of la monte young's "well tuned piano" piece
which is done in a particular tuning system of his own devising:
http://www.kylegann.com/wtp.html
that said, i'm personally kinda obsessed with microtones and manipulating them.
la monte young is an interesting cat in the cross-over space that you're interested in--he studied for many years with pandit pran nath...
this is a kinda interesting essay by henry flynt, who was around young and also studied with pran nath.
http://www.henryflynt.org/aesthetics..._pran_nath.htm
like sun ra said, there are other worlds they've not told you about, and they want to speak with you...