Quartertone - Revision history

Overthink: /* Examples */ add some important 17-limit ones

2026-02-06T06:15:29Z

Examples: add some important 17-limit ones

← Older revision		Revision as of 06:15, 6 February 2026
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	24edo is sometimes called "'''the quartertone scale'''" or "'''the quarter tone scale'''".		24edo is sometimes called "'''the quartertone scale'''" or "'''the quarter tone scale'''".

	A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the middle of the quartertone range: [[36/35]], [[100/97]], [[33/32]].		A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the middle of the quartertone range: [[36/35]], [[35/34]], [[34/33]], [[100/97]], [[33/32]].

	A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the outskirts of the quartertone range: [[50/49]], [[49/48]], [[45/44]], [[128/125]], [[28/27]], [[27/26]], [[25/24]], [[23/22]].		A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the outskirts of the quartertone range: [[50/49]], [[49/48]], [[45/44]], [[128/125]], [[28/27]], [[27/26]], [[25/24]], [[23/22]].

Fredg999 category edits: Moving from Category:Interval region to Category:Interval regions using Cat-a-lot

2025-09-03T21:08:36Z

Moving from Category:Interval region to Category:Interval regions using Cat-a-lot

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:08, 3 September 2025
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	A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the outskirts of the quartertone range: [[50/49]], [[49/48]], [[45/44]], [[128/125]], [[28/27]], [[27/26]], [[25/24]], [[23/22]].		A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the outskirts of the quartertone range: [[50/49]], [[49/48]], [[45/44]], [[128/125]], [[28/27]], [[27/26]], [[25/24]], [[23/22]].

	[[Category:Interval ~~region~~]][[Category:Quartertone]]		[[Category:Interval regions]]
			[[Category:Quartertone]]

VectorGraphics at 08:10, 24 May 2025

2025-05-24T08:10:28Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:10, 24 May 2025
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	== Properties ==		== Properties ==
	~~Quartertones have the highest [[harmonic entropy]] of any interval region.~~ In harmony, ~~they~~ tend to be perceived as [[dissonant]]. In melody, they tend to produce a "bending" or "melting" effect. Due to this effect, they are often used as grace notes to smoothen and add color to the transition between more distant intervals.		In harmony, quarter tones tend to be perceived as [[dissonant]]. As such, the [[harmonic entropy]] model is generally tuned to portray them as having the highest harmonic entropy of any interval. In melody, they tend to produce a "bending" or "melting" effect. Due to this effect, they are often used as grace notes to smoothen and add color to the transition between more distant intervals.

	In the classical and folk traditions of [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Arabia]], [[Indian\|North India]], [[Indian\|South India]], [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Iran]] and [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Turkey]], quartertones are not used as melodic intervals in their own right, but they are used as critical building blocks of larger melodic units. They are particularly used to build [[neutral]] intervals such as neutral seconds and neutral thirds (it should be noted that each of these traditions has multiple flavors of major, minor and neutral seconds, thirds, etc.)		In the classical and folk traditions of [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Arabia]], [[Indian\|North India]], [[Indian\|South India]], [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Iran]] and [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian\|Turkey]], quartertones are not used as melodic intervals in their own right, but they are used as critical building blocks of larger melodic units. They are particularly used to build [[neutral]] intervals such as neutral seconds and neutral thirds (it should be noted that each of these traditions has multiple flavors of major, minor and neutral seconds, thirds, etc.)

BudjarnLambeth at 04:06, 24 December 2024

2024-12-24T04:06:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:06, 24 December 2024
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	== Examples ==		== Examples ==
	The [[EDO]]s: {{EDOs\|21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29}} use a quartertone as their smallest step size. EDOs slightly larger or smaller are sometimes argued to do the same. This makes quartertones structurally important to those EDOs. They may sometimes also be used as melodic intervals depending on the approach taken.		The [[EDO]]s: {{EDOs\|21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29}} use a quartertone as their smallest step size. EDOs slightly larger or smaller are sometimes argued to do the same. This makes quartertones structurally important to those EDOs. They may sometimes also be used as melodic intervals depending on the approach taken.

			24edo is sometimes called "'''the quartertone scale'''" or "'''the quarter tone scale'''".

	A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the middle of the quartertone range: [[36/35]], [[100/97]], [[33/32]].		A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the middle of the quartertone range: [[36/35]], [[100/97]], [[33/32]].

BudjarnLambeth: Created page with "A '''quartertone''' or '''quarter tone''' is an interval which is similar in size to a single step of 24edo, which is 50 cents. This makes "quartertone" an inter..."

2024-12-24T04:05:15Z

Created page with "A '''quartertone''' or '''quarter tone''' is an interval which is similar in size to a single step of 24edo, which is 50 cents. This makes "quartertone" an inter..."

New page

A '''quartertone''' or '''quarter tone''' is an [[interval]] which is similar in size to a single step of [[24edo]], which is 50 [[cents]]. This makes "quartertone" an [[interval region]], similar to "seventh" or "major third".

== Properties ==
Quartertones have the highest [[harmonic entropy]] of any interval region. In harmony, they tend to be perceived as [[dissonant]]. In melody, they tend to produce a "bending" or "melting" effect. Due to this effect, they are often used as grace notes to smoothen and add color to the transition between more distant intervals.

In the classical and folk traditions of [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian|Arabia]], [[Indian|North India]], [[Indian|South India]], [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian|Iran]] and [[Arabic, Turkish, Persian|Turkey]], quartertones are not used as melodic intervals in their own right, but they are used as critical building blocks of larger melodic units. They are particularly used to build [[neutral]] intervals such as neutral seconds and neutral thirds (it should be noted that each of these traditions has multiple flavors of major, minor and neutral seconds, thirds, etc.)

In [[regular temperament]] theory and [[equal tuning]] theory, quartertones are sometimes used as melodic intervals in their own right, or sometimes not, depending which temperament is being used. In [[superpyth]] temperament for example, quartertones are usually treated as substantial melodic steps. By contrast, [[meantone]] usually treats them as only structural units for building larger neutral intervals. This difference may be due to how early or late quartertones appear on the [[generator]] chain (early in superpyth, late in meantone).

== Upper and lower bounds ==
"Quartertone" is a slightly blurry region.

It is not clear exactly what a "tone" is (what this interval should be a quarter ''of''). The most often used definition is a step of [[6edo]], which is 200 cents: the standard 12edo whole tone. However, the [[just]] whole tone, [[9/8]] (203.9 cents), could also be used, which would make the 'average' quarter tone 51 rather than 50 cents.

The lower bound of the "quartertone" region might be somewhere around 40 cents: below this, intervals become more like a "fifth tone" or "sixth tone". The upper bound might be somewhere around 60 cents: above this, intervals become more like a "third tone".

Though, it is also possible to call all of the above "quartertone" and make the bounds much wider: something in the ball park of 30 cents to 70 cents.

== Examples ==
The [[EDO]]s: {{EDOs|21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28 & 29}} use a quartertone as their smallest step size. EDOs slightly larger or smaller are sometimes argued to do the same. This makes quartertones structurally important to those EDOs. They may sometimes also be used as melodic intervals depending on the approach taken.

A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the middle of the quartertone range: [[36/35]], [[100/97]], [[33/32]].

A sampling of just intervals that sit towards the outskirts of the quartertone range: [[50/49]], [[49/48]], [[45/44]], [[128/125]], [[28/27]], [[27/26]], [[25/24]], [[23/22]].

[[Category:Interval region]][[Category:Quartertone]]