Meantone temperament is a musical temperament, which is a system of musical tuning. In general, a meantone is constructed the same way as Pythagorean tuning, as a stack of perfect fifths, but in meantone, each fifth is narrow compared to the ratio 27/12:1 used in 12 equal temperament. The meantone temperament:
- generates all non-octave intervals from a stack of tempered perfect fifths; and
- by choosing an appropriate size for major and minor thirds, tempers the syntonic comma to unison.
Quarter-comma meantone is the best known type of meantone temperament, and the term meantone temperament is often used to refer to it specifically.
Read more about Meantone Temperament: Meantone Temperaments, Wolf Intervals, Extended Meantones, Use of Meantone Temperament, New Uses of Meantone Tunings
Famous quotes containing the word temperament:
“Although this garrulity of advising is born with us, I confess that life is rather a subject of wonder, than of didactics. So much fate, so much irresistible dictation from temperament and unknown inspiration enter into it, that we doubt we can say anything out of our own experience whereby to help each other.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)