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:
“Temperament is the natural, inborn style of behavior of each individual. It’s the how of behavior, not the why.... The question is not, “Why does he behave a certain way if he doesn’t get a cookie?” but rather, “When he doesn’t get a cookie, how does he express his displeasure...?” The environment—and your behavior as a parent—can influence temperament and interplay with it, but it is not the cause of temperamental characteristics.”
—Stanley Turecki (20th century)