Questions tagged [just-intonation]
For questions related to tuning systems that privilege justly tuned intervals as opposed to equal temperament, meantone temperament, etc. Questions will likely also require the tuning tag.
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How do I interpret this Just Intonation scale?
I understand the concept in terms of whole number division for frequencies in a scale to some degree, but when trying to learn Arnold Dreyblatt's scale (link below), I'm lost as to what the fractions ...
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How to do just intonation interval ear training?
I've been trying to train my ear to distinguish intervals for quite some time but I don't get very good at it. I've got a hypothesis that it's because ask the interval training programs, websites and ...
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How to calculate 21-limit just intonation
I am looking for ratios of 21-limit just intonation tuning system to later compare it with the 31-EDO tuning system since they are to some extent similar and close. How could I calculate 21-limit just ...
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guitar - open strings in just intonation
has anyone of you tried to tune your guitar to just intonation?
As far as I understand it, it's possible to tune the open strings to just intonation. Consequently, you couldn't fret notes but only use ...
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Consonant vs. Dissonant Major Thirds: Historical Process and Significance of Tuning System
In the comments to the question Why is the fourth against the bass considered a dissonance?, I wrote
A 5:4 third was considered dissonant until musical tastes changed and declared it consonant.
To ...
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Is there a list of Just Intonation chords as defined by Fétis, using ratios?
One way of ‘spelling’ chords in just intonation is using ratios - such as 10:12:14:17 (multiplications of the frequency of an implied ‘missing fundamental’). Fétis is quoted in Wikipedia (and here by ...
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Why does "just intonation" make it so different keys have different characteristics?
Introduction
So, the "just intonation" system introduces a scale where every note is aimed to be a more harmonious low-integer ratio (harmonic) relative to the fundamental. In the case of C,...
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Why does major 2nd have more harmonics than major 3rd?
I was watching this video about Just-intonation tuning system. In this video he is explaining how the harmonics work.
He is explaining that the first harmonic is created by dividing a string into half,...
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Could it be possible to convert a midi file from Equal Temperament notes to Just Intonation using Sysex data? [duplicate]
I read today that Sysex files have the capacity to contain additional note pitch information from the regular 0-127 in normal MIDI.
Is it possible to convert a regular MIDI file to Sysex type, and add ...
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Equal Temperament as a Stack of Just Intervals
Recently I came up with interesting discovery how to get equally tempered tones by using a stack of just intervals 3/2 and 5/4. Since they are a part of most harmonic cord, major triad, should be ...
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Outside of Equal Temperament, what decides the spelling of notes in a major scale?
I've been reading up on the history of temperament, and how enharmonic notes are more of a limitation of the modern piano (only one black key), and also mathematically they are the same if you use ...
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What is Just Intonation in detailed terms, and how can I notate it? [duplicate]
I've recently caught a great interest in the use of microtonal music through Just Intonation because of an artist I'm sure you've heard of recently, Jacob Collier. There a point in one of his songs ...
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What just intonation intervals are appropriate for the double-harmonic scale?
In musical traditions where something like the double-harmonic scale (e.g. C D♭ E F G A♭ B C) is used, and tuned with some kind of just intonation, what just intervals are preferred for the scale ...
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Equivalence of intervals with octaves between them
Say we play C4 and G4 on the piano at the same time, stop the notes, then play D4 and A4 simultaneously, then the quality of this sound is the same as the quality of the first.
To understand why that ...
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Violin tuning, equal temperament or just intonation?
I'm tuning my violin now, by making the fifths on open strings sounds most harmonious. So they are just fifths, a little wider than the equal fifth. But then would the gap between the G and E string ...
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Double bass harmonics are slightly flat?
Here, Lauren Pierce claims that she doesn't use harmonics to tune because they are "slightly flat". Why is this? Is she referring to just intonation vs equal temperament, or inharmonicity, ...
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Alternative intervals power chords in just intonation
I was wondering, distorted power chords tend to work really well because in 12 equal temperament the root and fifth are pretty close to just intonation. A detailed explanation can be found in the link ...
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Song-specific temperament [duplicate]
So equal temperament is a compromise to allow songs to be played without without having to retune them on the fly, to match the more consonant sounding just intonation intervals.
However, in a world ...
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What are the ratios of Just Intonation?
My Make Noise Morphagene has the following comment in its configuration file:
//Ratio Table - Equal Temperament
//1.00000: Unison
//1.05946: minor 2nd
//1.12246: Major 2nd
//1.18920: minor 3rd
//1....
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How to notate a 16:15 frequency in just intonation?
I've often came across tables just chromatic scales like so:
C: 1:1
C#: 16:15
D: 9:8
And so forth. I know that at least in Ben Johnston notation, the sharp sign implies that a note's frequency is ...
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Do any prominent string players tune the top and bottom string to be a just minor 10th or major 13th?
I'm thinking of bass, viola, violin, and cello, though my question could apply to any instrument tuned in stacked fourths/fifths. Typically the strings are tuned using the 3rd and 4th harmonics so ...
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How is the Santur (Santour / Santoor) usually tuned (in pure intonation)?
From what I've read the Persian Santur is usually tuned to the Phyrgian mode, but what are the actual frequencies or ratios of the notes? How would I tune one by ear? e.g. a piano tuner might count ...
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Why can't notes be tuned according to a defined frequency?
Why is it that everyone says a piano can never be in tune?
Why can't we just assign a particular frequency to every note (A, A#, B, C, C#, etc) and then tune each piano string to the frequency of each ...
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If the resolution of human hearing is approximately five cents, how can musicians play works with intonation changes of less than five cents?
Sources1 suggest that the frequency resolution of humans—our ability to discriminate differences in pitch—is limited to around five cents.
If this is the case, how can musicians play an excerpt like ...
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Is a cappella xenharmonic by default?
I recently watched Adam Neely's video about comma pump. He quotes from "Fundamentals of Musical Composition" by Arnold Schoenberg. (Chapter XI, page 99):
...the natural semi-tones differ in ...
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Gibson les paul standard (2019) 50's neck guitar's unique intonation problem
I recently bought a new non-weight relief Gibson les Paul standard with 50's neck. The guitar comes with an ABR style tune-o-matic bridge. As soon as I played it I noticed that the low "E" and "A" ...
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Was equal temperament caused by the invention of the piano, or was it inevitable?
Historically, which key a piece of music was written in made a big difference. Toccata and Fugue in D minor for instance had to be played in that key or it wouldn't sound right.
But over the last ...
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Why are bagpipes tuned using just intonation?
To my knowledge, the Great Highland Bagpipes are tuned using just intonation rather than equal tempered tuning. Why is this? What is the advantage of just intonation?
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Attempt to make Jazz chord progression on 7-Limit tuning
This is a sequel to this question. Refer to it for the just ratio of the tones.
Being septimal, I thought it could be used for Jazz. The chord progression I made is (Based on C):
CM7 - F♯ø7 - FM7 - ...
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7-Limit tuned 12 tones? (Revised)
This question is a revision of this question. My theory of harmony was a bit wrong, especially for the G major chord was off. I created a new theory to re-tune the 12 tones. The just ratio of the ...
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7-Limit tuned 12 tones?
I tried to tune the 12 tones differently to gain more harmony. Rather than equal temperament or just intonation, I picked 7-limit tuning. Here're the tones:
C = 1/1
C♯ = 21/20
D = 10/9
...
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Why is the Major-Minor Scale unused?
I tried to make the "best" 7-tone scale in just intonation. Specifically:
The tones must be alongside the equal temperament. (7-TET here)
The tones must have the least maximum harmonic distance.
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Need help understanding the difference between diatonic and chromatic semitones
I am writing an essay on musical temperaments for which I was doing some research on the history of tuning and how it evolved over time. I understand the Pythagorean tuning system quite well now but I ...
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What do you call a scale with 19 notes per octave? Howabout 17 notes per octave?
I know that a 12-note scale (as in the currently ubiquitous 12 equal temperament) is called "chromatic". In a chromatic system, there are sharps and/or flats, but no neighboring sharps and flats.
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How did Pythagoras and Ptolemy measure the relative pitch of musical notes?
Both Pythagoras and Ptolemy believed that the intervals between notes in music should be ratios of small integer numbers. This is known as Just Intonation. Pythagoras liked them to derived from ...
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Is this music (flow my tears) here being played in 31 TET or a form of renaissance unequal temperament such as quarter comma meantone?
While looking for 31TET music I stumbled across this recording of "flow my tears" my John Dowland
The video description and the album artwork indicate that it's ...
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If an ensemble plays using just intonation, is it true the ensemble will always go sharp?
I was once told that an ensemble that plays in just intonation will always go sharp, and I'm wondering if that's actually true.
The easiest way to disprove this claim is to find an instance where the ...
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Just intonation within a piece
Say I have a piece in C major. I want just intonation and select pitches for C major.
What should happen if the piece stays on an F major triad? Should I switch the intonation to F major for that ...
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Tuning six-string in open D, just intonation?
I am playing a six-string guitar tuned to open D (DADF#AD).
I have “heard tell” of players who use the principles of “just intonation” to... improve/make more pleasing to the ear... the intonation of ...
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keys with just intonation on guitar with standard tuning
I know that guitar is an imperfect music instrument as in standard tuning the intonation is slightly off. When playing a given chord, one or more notes will be slightly out of tune.
I wanted to know ...
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Just Intonation confusion
Could anybody explain to me what is affected by Just Intonation? The melodic and harmonic intervals or the scale degrees and distance from the tonic?
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How are Just-Tuned scales beyond those of 12-notes constructed?
I was experimenting with what ratios come up when one continues on the Pythagorean cycling of fifths, and came up with the following chart:
Those ratios beyond the 12-note Pythagorean scale are shown ...
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With modern electronic technology is temperament unnecessary?
I am a Physics student but also love math and music, and know a little bit about tuning because it is related to mathematics.
So as far as I understand, Just Intonation is more consonant than ...
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Tuning type setting on Yamaha CP5?
I would like to change the tuning type on a Yamaha CP5. I could not find anything relevant in the manual, surprisingly, since cheaper models (like P-140) routinely have this setting. There is a thread ...
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Double Sharps in Just Intonation. The mathematics?
So I'm experimenting around and I'm creating a small little thing in C#### minor just because. I understand the mathematics of C#### in Pythagorean and Equal Temperment music systems but how do you ...
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Difference between equal temperament and just intonation
I am learning Indian classical music and learned about just intonation and equal temperament. I want to know the difference between them. I know that Indian classical music uses just intonation and ...
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Just intonation with Fluidsynth
Is there a way to get fluidsynth to play in just intonation, or more generally select the intonation of this soft synth?
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What are the characteristic intervals or scales of 13-limit harmony and beyond?
I've been studying and really getting into the Extended Just Intonation music of composers like Ben Johnston and Kyle Gann. I've started trying to explore the sort of intervals and scales that are ...
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Does good intonation alone really make you "louder"? If yes, why?
I have multiple times heard this claim, from very different sources.
There certainly seems to be some correlation between intonation and "loudness", in the sense that ensembles with great harmony ...
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Understanding just intonation, Timidity, and Scala
I'm not a programmer but I am working on a program that manipulates music via MIDI files in all sorts of interesting ways.
I want to add the ability to use alternate tunings. I even went so far as to ...
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