Tell me more ×
Musical Practice & Performance Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for musicians, students, and enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 5 down vote favorite

i was heard about savart unit in persian music that divides a chromatic interval into smaller units.

persian musicians using an interval smaller than the chromatic intervals, called: kron. they measure it using the savart unit.

is this true? if is true, then how can i convert it into cent or vise-versa?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 6 down vote accepted

An article by Joe Monzo at http://tonalsoft.com/enc/s/savart.aspx defines the savart as 1/300 of an octave.

A savart is calculated as the 300th root of 2, or 2(1/300), with a ratio of approximately 1:1.002313162. It is an irrational number. A savart has an interval size of approximately 4 cents.

savart = 1000log10(f2/f1)
cents = 1200log2(f2/f1)
share|improve this answer
up vote 1 down vote

Cents, as the name implies, are 1/100th of a semitone (or "chromatic interval"), when working in 12-tone equal temperment (12-TET).

So, as long as your definition of "savar" is in relation to a "chromatic interval" that is defined as a 12th of an octave, then you should be able to convert back and forth by simply defining 1 savar = 2 cents.

However, if the Persian chromatic interval is not 1/12 of an octave, you will have to draw an equivalence in relation to the octave. The cent is 1/1200th of an octave. The savar is 1/(50*c) of an octave, where c is the number of equal chromatic intervals that make up an octave. You can then easily compare the two.

share|improve this answer
I couldn't find any references to savar beyond your question, but this thread seems to indicate a scale that is not strictly equal-tempered, though it may be based on choosing certain 24-TET notes to end up with 17 unequal tones. – NReilingh♦ Feb 8 at 18:33
1  
yes, in persian called savar, but i just found the true spell, savart – pylover Feb 9 at 6:34
@pylover I see your edits--does this mean the Persian chromatic interval is 1/6 of an octave? – NReilingh♦ Feb 9 at 21:21
no. we have a concept named: dastgah. so the intervals are variable across dastgah.for example, in dastgah: shoor ,E-F is 20 savar. – pylover Feb 9 at 21:27

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.