Arithmetic tuning: Difference between revisions

Cmloegcmluin (talk | contribs)
Types: reorder, for better parallelism within lists
Cmloegcmluin (talk | contribs)
address Flora's recent concerns about rationality vs. irrationality in this system
Line 35: Line 35:
Other arithmetic tunings can be found by changing the step size. For example, if you vary the overtone series to have a step size of 3/4 instead of 1, then you get the tuning <math>1, 1\frac 34, 2\frac 24, 3\frac14</math><span>, which is equivalent to <math>\frac 44, \frac 74, \frac{10}{4}, \frac{13}{4}</math>, or in other words, a class iii [[isoharmonic chords|isoharmonic]] tuning with starting position of 4. We call this the otonal sequence of 3 over 4, or OS3/4.  
Other arithmetic tunings can be found by changing the step size. For example, if you vary the overtone series to have a step size of 3/4 instead of 1, then you get the tuning <math>1, 1\frac 34, 2\frac 24, 3\frac14</math><span>, which is equivalent to <math>\frac 44, \frac 74, \frac{10}{4}, \frac{13}{4}</math>, or in other words, a class iii [[isoharmonic chords|isoharmonic]] tuning with starting position of 4. We call this the otonal sequence of 3 over 4, or OS3/4.  


If the new step size is irrational, the tuning is no longer JI, so we use a different acronym to distinguish it: AFS, for arithmetic frequency sequence. For example, if we wanted to move by steps of φ, like this: <math>1, 1+φ, 1+2φ, 1+3φ...</math> etc. we could have the AFSφ.  
If the new step size is irrational, the tuning is no longer JI, so we fall back to a more general acronym to distinguish it: AFS, for arithmetic frequency sequence. For example, if we wanted to move by steps of φ, like this: <math>1, 1+φ, 1+2φ, 1+3φ...</math> etc. we could have the AFSφ. Because different acronyms are used to distinguish rational (JI) tunings from general tunings which include irrational (non-JI) tunings, while the acronyms used for general tunings technically include the JI tunings, these general acronyms are more useful when reserved for non-JI tunings, and this is what is typically done. So when "irrational" is used on this page, it more accurately means "probably irrational".


OS and AFS are equivalent to taking an overtone series and adding (or subtracting) a constant amount of frequency. By doing this, the step sizes remain equal in frequency, but their relationship in pitch changes. For a detailed explanation of this, see the later section on the [[OS#Derivation|derivation of OS]].
OS and AFS are equivalent to taking an overtone series and adding (or subtracting) a constant amount of frequency. By doing this, the step sizes remain equal in frequency, but their relationship in pitch changes. For a detailed explanation of this, see the later section on the [[OS#Derivation|derivation of OS]].