Just Intonation vs. Equal Temperament

A comparison of just intonation to equal temperament (standard tuning) from Justonic.com...

Category:

Music

Tags:

• just
• intonation
• equal
• temperament
• tuning
• justonic
• bach

[wewillprosper]

i don't like this. uneven tempering has so much character. this is boring.

[ShawnBoucke]

If temperament wasn't described as "clearly out of tune." then I could actually use this for teaching purposes. temperament is not out of tune, it is just a different form of tuning, and depending on the type of temperament, it many times "sounds" more in tune.

[nphony]

@elgaed69 Ok, but if you insist on the physics definition of the word "harmony" (which is NOT the same as the musical definition), then it is analogous to my point before about a perfect circle. The physical concept of a circle is like the physical concept of harmony. Most real-world tokens of either are imperfect. And once we move to aesthetics, then our subjective experience of either is all that matters.

[elgaed69]

@nphony Again you make the false analogy of representation = harmony. Harmony is a physical and mathematical phenomenon, not a mere figment.

[nphony]

@kratanuva725 Sorry for definitely playing with semantics here... "Compromise" does not imply superiority/inferiority. There are times when compromise is the arguably superior choice because non-compromise means you get one feature at the total expense of another. Compromise is only inferior when there exists a way to get everything you want without compromise. If getting everything is impossible, then compromise may be as good as any other imperfect option.

[nphony]

@evinism I agree overall. But be aware that extended JI, meaning JI played on fretless instruments or voices or keyboards with far more notes (like the Tonal Plexus) or programmed to allow all sorts of possible pitches... THAT JI can handle all transpositions without wolf fifths, if we allow comma shifts or comma drifts (which really can be nearly imperceptible, or at least perfectly acceptable, when hidden in a complex context)

[nphony]

Oh, I guess I wasn't clear. Read that review because it does a great job of bringing up some criticisms of Harmonic Experience that you should consider.

[nphony]

@elgaed69 Not that you have any logical argument or evidence why my point is nonsense... I'm sorry, but music doesn't exist as a physical phenomenon in the world. Sound waves, pressure waves exist. Music is only in our minds. Likewise, words don't exist in the physical world either. There are acoustic sounds and patterns of light or pigment, but these physical things are not words. Acoustic interference exists physically, but that's not harmony.

[kratanuva725]

@nphony Sure, that's basically what I was getting at. :P

[kratanuva725]

@nphony Probably. My point was that the sound of a pure 5/4 and a slightly sharp 5/4 both have their place, so moving either from the 5-limit to 12-tet or from 12-tet to the 5-limit could be described as a compromise, but I really don't think that terminology is useful, because calling something a compromise implies superiority.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to reply. I enjoyed the discussion.

[elgaed69]

@nphony That's non-sense.