[linux-audio-user] Re: in tune - stupid thread

[Douglas Ward]

On Sun, 2004-12-19 at 18:40 -0500, Lee Revell wrote:
> On Sun, 2004-12-19 at 23:29 +0200, John Anderson wrote:

> > Actually, even guitars with adjustable bridge saddles won't be perfectly
> > in tune with themselves, except for octaves, 4ths and fifths which are
> > close enough that one can't really hear the difference. This is because
> > the frets are in the wrong place in relation to the overtone series
> > (pl). This applies to any instrument that has fixed notes (piano springs
> > to mind), and which use the 12-tone equal temperament tuning.
> > 
> > It's a long story, so I won't go into detail. Google for Just Intonation
> > if you want to know more. It sheds a different light on various
> > questions like, where *is* that confounded blue note? Why do major
> > chords sound crap on overdrive? What's the deal with barbershop and
> > string quartets? Why is D minor the saddest key? If I tune the B string
> > by ear to the G string, why is it out of tune with the E string?
> 
> I think this is called "well tempered tuning".
> 
> Lee

No, not really. Well-Temperament is a fairly specific term.

http://dwdraw.homeunix.org/music/info/music-temperaments.html

Just Intonation is the correct term. Temperaments are all systems of
intonation for fixed-pitch instruments--variable-pitched instruments
have the ability to always use Just Intonation--that attempt to evenly
distribute (relative to the mathematically perfect Just Intonation) the
imperfect intervals.


O T H E R  L I N K S (also in paper):

Specific Examples for Further Investigation
Duffin, Ross W. Home page. Case Western Reserve University.  <
http://www.google.com/search?q=tuning+duffin+site%3Acwru.edu >.
This source includes spreadsheets of pitches related to temperaments and
sound samples.

Kellner, Herbert Anton. “Johan Sebastian Bach: the well tempered tuning
is unequal.” < http://ha.kellner.bei.t-online.de >.
This source includes instructions on how to tune a harpsichord using the
Werckmeister Temperament.

Kamp, Wim. “Harpsichord.” <
http://home.no.net/wimkamp/instruments/Harpsichord/harpsichord.html >.
This source includes recordings of the author playing early music on a
variety of temperaments.