Topmusicanswers
Well temperament represented a departure from the various meantone tunings that were used in earlier music. ... Equal temperament is appropriate for some music of the 20th century, especially atonal music, and music based on the whole tone scale, but not for the works of the 18th and 19th centuries.
- Is equal temperament out of tune?
- What is equal temperament and why is it used as a system for tuning?
- What is a well tempered scale?
- What is the difference between just intonation and equal temperament?
Is equal temperament out of tune?
One of those tunings was already known to the ancients: equal temperament. Here the poison is distributed equally through the system: The distance between each interval is mathematically the same, so each interval is equally in, and slightly out of, tune.
What is equal temperament and why is it used as a system for tuning?
Because it enables keyboard instruments to play in all keys with minimal flaws in intonation, equal temperament replaced earlier tuning systems that were based on acoustically pure intervals, that is, intervals that occur naturally in the overtone series.
What is a well tempered scale?
As used in the 17th century, the term "well tempered" meant that the twelve notes per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, without sounding perceptibly out of tune.
What is the difference between just intonation and equal temperament?
Just intonation requires tuning your instrument for a specific key. With standard equal temperament, you can play further down the neck in another key and not end up with different sound quality intervals between notes.
