Questions tagged [temperament]
For questions generally relating to systems of note frequency assignment. Questions will often include the tuning and/or alternative-tunings tag.
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3answers
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Why is B♯ higher than C♭ in 31-ET?
I was looking into microtonal series, and started reading a bit on the 31-ET series, and came across something that doesn't quite make sense to me.
I noticed this chart on the wiki page for 31-ET ...
2
votes
3answers
134 views
In meantone temperaments, do A sharp and B flat have different frequencies?
In Pythagorean and Just tuning, according to Wikipedia, there are different frequencies for flat and sharp notes. Most notably, there is a tritone of which there seem to be 2 quite different versions.
...
11
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2answers
131 views
Why does this tonal scale from 1737 have both F and E♯?
I've recently encountered Jean Féry-Rebel's "Les Élémens". (Check out that wild opening; it's hard to believe it was written in 1737!)
In the fifth measure of the third staff, why does this ...
4
votes
1answer
166 views
How to interpret trills in renaissance music?
So I suddenly want to try some 16th century music...
I downloaded this sheet music https://imslp.org/wiki/Parthenia_(Various), which includes keyboards works by Orlando, William Byrd, and John Bull. ...
17
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6answers
2k views
Do classical pieces sound different today than the originals due to temperament?
I was reading how classical music used to not be in equal temperament. So each of their keys sounded completely different and that's why they named their pieces after the keys they were playing. ...
5
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2answers
331 views
temperament - its effect on a key
Most of Western music is now played in 12et/edo, where a key change won't make an appreciable difference to how it sounds - providing voicings are the same.
Back in other temperamental days, let's ...
-1
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2answers
52 views
Are there similarities between musical temperament and colorimetry? [closed]
It is well known that musical temperament is the basic of music theory, just as colorimetry is the basic of color theory.
13
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2answers
1k views
Whereabouts is G?
In 12TET, concert G is always at a particular pitch, frequency, etc. However, on instruments such as violin, players will stray slightly to make a note sound more in tune, dependent on key. (As in ...
7
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3answers
263 views
Are there any tuning differences between the C# Major Scale and Db Major Scale? [duplicate]
I am looking for a little clarification related to the differences between sharp (♯) and flat (♭) notes in music theory.
Some people say C♯ and D♭ are the same, but some say they are not. Some say ...
8
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2answers
1k views
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.
...
10
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3answers
350 views
What is a 'temperament', in the most general sense?
In Does this scale have a name: 1, 15/14, 15/13, ..., 15/8?, some commenters to the question opined that the OP was looking for a 'temperament', not a scale.
This surprised me as I've while I've ...
4
votes
1answer
124 views
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 ...
10
votes
2answers
345 views
Do the EDO and TET acronyms mean the same thing?
In the context of dividing an octave into n intervals, I understand n EDO to mean n Equal Divisions per Octave and n TET to mean n Tones Equal Temperament. Do the EDO and TET acronyms mean the same ...
2
votes
1answer
383 views
Equal temperament nearest possible to the just intonation
It is ever possible to have an equal temperament without using the pure octave. In this case we can produce equal temperament where an universal half tone is used. It will permit to stay nearest ...
0
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1answer
96 views
Recommended tuning system for a 12 note chromatic scale [closed]
A few questions:
1) Is there a preferred or standard tuning system (e.g., even-/just-tempered, etc.) for modern western music or, perhaps a more appropriate question, what is your ideal tuning system?...
1
vote
2answers
1k views
How to compensate for inaccuracy of equal temperament?
It is a widely recognized fact that equal temperament gives inaccurate intervals (particularly, the major third). People usually ignore it, but some people try to actually fix this.
I have heard that ...
2
votes
3answers
488 views
Tuning a string instrument with well temperament
When I practice the cello, sometimes it is noticeable that, when playing big chords, they tend to be out of tune - the C string sounds a bit too flat. This is the issue of tuning by 5ths for any ...
4
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4answers
2k views
On Tuning: What's in a Temperament? (Well-Temperament vs. Equal Temperament)
I just had my whole world shattered this morning when I was unwise enough to do a "quick" Google search on what exactly "equal temperament" means before I had started my work. Of course, the loudest ...
6
votes
2answers
223 views
software to determine the tuning (temperament) of a recording?
Case in point: Glenn Gould's recording of the WTC. The liner notes mention nothing about the tuning (in fact, I doubt the author understood the difference between equal and well temperament). This is ...
1
vote
5answers
362 views
Equal temperament
Practically speaking: Does equal temperament only mean arranging a set of intervals (scale) such that it can be repeated (similarly t o what is defined in 12 tone equal temperament as an octave)?
...
25
votes
9answers
5k views
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 ...
10
votes
5answers
326 views
“∞-TET”: Is there music that doesn't use discretely pitched notes?
Is there music that doesn't use notes with discrete* pitches, but rather has instruments playing continuously changing frequencies?
I know there are microtonal tunings as high as 72-TET, but is there ...
2
votes
1answer
209 views
keyboard instrument with only some of the black keys
I have a vague memory of seeing a photo of an ancient keyboard instrument (a calvichord?) that had only some of the black keys - maybe just B flat and F sharp. Alas, I can't find anything similar now....
9
votes
3answers
261 views
Continuous Music Theory
Is there a musical theory of harmony or a system of chord-understanding that does not rely on the 12-tone temperament?
For example, a fretless instrument has (theoretically) an infinity of tones ...
2
votes
2answers
181 views
How do you flatten a pure fifth by a fraction of the syntonic comma?
According to Wikipedia, the size of the perfect fifth in 1/4 comma meantone is "flattened by one quarter of a syntonic comma, with respect to its just intonation used in Pythagorean tuning (frequency ...
6
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5answers
1k views
Why does it take 700 cents to get to a perfect 5th, which is 3/2 (one and a half) from the root?
I think I have the wrong perspective.
If you take an octave and express it in cents, you get 1200.
Half of that is 600.
A perfect 5th is 1.5 (3/2) of the root.
But 600 is not a perfect fifth, 700 ...
2
votes
5answers
17k views
What does a capo really do to chords?
Practically, a capo will shift each string by a half tone per position, but what does it do to the intervals they produce with each other?
My shot is that e.g.
* without capo if we fret the simplest ...
9
votes
3answers
828 views
What is the difference between temperament and intonation?
We talk of equal temperament but just intonation.
From wikipedia, tempering is described as
"the process of altering the size of an interval by making it narrower
or wider than pure."
where ...
1
vote
1answer
181 views
Term & abbreviation for number of tones or notes per octave - independent of temperament or intonation
In the context of characterizing a completely arbitrary instrument or piece of world music, when trying to describe the number of notes or tones per octave we tend quickly to get grounded in notions ...
2
votes
1answer
821 views
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 ...
4
votes
5answers
685 views
Is there any support for microtonality and temperaments in (or beyond) the MIDI specification?
The number of tones (or notes) per 8ve is just one of many potentially customisable aspects of any instrument. Standard midi, however, is pretty much clamped to western 12-tone equal temperament. ...
8
votes
6answers
27k views
B -> C and E -> F, No Sharp?
The keyboard has these notes:
A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#
Why do B and C and E and F not have a sharp note between them? If they did, the keyboard would look like this:
A A# B B# C ...
6
votes
2answers
2k views
What is the significance of Pythagorean comma (as in why is there a need to end in the same place)?
The following two links provide a brief introduction to Pythagorean comma:
Pythagorean Comma - Indiana University
The "Pythagorean Comma" - Jody Nagel
The wikipedia article on this subject is also ...
8
votes
3answers
422 views
“Tritone” intervals in n-tone equal temperament
In 12-tone equal temperament, the tritone interval is made of three whole tones (six semitones) and is considered, if I am not mistaken totally, as the most dissonant interval.
I have two questions:
...
2
votes
3answers
644 views
Colour of keys in the era of equal-temperament
As I understand it, the great bulk of music from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic eras are at least these days performed on equal temperament instruments. And yet there is still a great deal of ...
2
votes
2answers
243 views
Does 'just' or 'well' temperament center around the key of a given piece, or is it key-agnostic?
I'm going to be recording some piano music in the near future, and I'm interested in the (possibly crazy) idea of tuning the piano to a non-equal-tempered system for the recording.
I am recording ...
2
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6answers
2k views
How do I tune my cello to play the second Bach suite(prelude)?
None of the videos on youtube are is concert pitch.
12
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1answer
153 views
How were tuning/temperaments indicated on scores (if they ever were)?
Bradley Lehman claims that the details of the intended tuning for the Well-Tempered Claivier are encoded in the squiggle at the top of the manuscript (related wikipedia link).
Are there other (...
2
votes
1answer
407 views
In C major, if the third note is 14 cents sharp from JI, does the V/VI have a third that is 28 cents sharp?
In the key of C major, the note "E" in equal temperament is 400 cents above the root, but in just intonation it would be a ratio of 5:4, or 386 cents above the root.
If this is true, is it not also ...
13
votes
4answers
2k views
How does the harmonic series affect consonance?
NOTE: for the purpose of this question, assume we are talking about 12-TET and assume that references to overtones in the harmonic series are being referred to in relationship to the 12-TET note that ...
5
votes
3answers
3k views
Appropriate temperament for violin
I'm new to violin (and music in general). I am learning through the Suzuki method, but after I get down the fundamentals I hope to learn Irish and American fiddle tunes. I recently discovered an IPad ...
8
votes
1answer
267 views
Why is 16/9 used for the minor seventh instead of 7/4?
Does the 16/9 sound less dissonant than 7/4 (less uncomfortable) due to consisting of only the 3rd undertone (squared), or the 7/4 would sound "better" (I know, it's quite subjective what sounds good ...
13
votes
2answers
1k views
What kind of temperament to play Monteverdi with?
We would like to perform excerpts from Monteverdi's Orfeo on period instruments. According to recent research, what is the most authentic temperament that could have been used for the keyboard ...
10
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2answers
1k views
How can I play my new tenor recorder (a'=440) along with someone playing a harpsichord (a'=415)?
From an article I read online, I believe I've understood that it's possible to treat the middle C (fingers covering all holes) on the tenor as if it were a D flat, and all higher notes on the ...
45
votes
5answers
29k views
Why are pianos traditionally tuned “out of tune” at the extremes?
My understanding is that the vast majority of western music uses equal temperament, i.e. all semitones have a frequency ratio of the 12th root of 2.
However I can hear in my piano that the notes at ...
25
votes
4answers
1k views
Is there a sound theoretical reason why a capella choirs “drift off” of the starting pitches in a piece?
Is the "comma pump" an empirical problem, or merely theoretical?
It's a standard music theory exercise to show that certain chord progressions don't actually quite work. For example, in the I-IV-ii-V-...
5
votes
3answers
1k views
Can we tell by ear if a piece is in sharp or in flat without relative or perfect pitch?
I remember a masterclass where the piano teacher commented a piece from Chopin with something like "and after this modulation we enter the world of sharps".
This left me wondering if it was a poetic ...
10
votes
4answers
11k views
What frequencies should the violin and viola be tuned to?
I'm using this app to tune my violin, it supports many temperament options.
What I want to do is tune the A string to 440Hz first, then comparing the other strings sympathetically to the adjacent ...
6
votes
1answer
1k views
Natural vs tempered semi-tones
I am reading "Fundamentals of Musical Composition" by Arnold Schoenberg. Chapter XI, page 99, states:
Chromaticism is difficult partly because the natural semi-tones differ in size from the ...
5
votes
2answers
255 views
What is the savart unit in Persian music theory?
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 ...
