3/2: Difference between revisions

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'''3/2''', the '''just perfect fifth''', is a very [[consonance|consonant]] interval, due to the numerator and denominator of its ratio being very small numbers~~. Only~~ the [[2/1|octave]] and the [[3/1|tritave]] ~~have~~ smaller numbers.

'''3/2''', the '''just perfect fifth''', is a very [[consonance|consonant]] interval, due to the numerator and denominator of its ratio being very small numbers, with only the [[2/1|octave]] and the [[3/1|tritave]] having smaller numbers. As such, it is very important in western music and many musical traditions, and approximating it is key in systems like [[12edo]] and other [[EDO]]s.

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== Properties ==

For harmonic [[timbre|timbres]], the loudest harmonics are usually the second and third ones (2/1 and 3/1). 3/2 is the interval between these two harmonics (which incidentally makes 3/2 [[superparticular]]). Thus 3/2 is easy to tune by ear, and it's easy to hear if it's mistuned.

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Variations of the perfect fifth (whether [[just]] or tempered) appear in most [[Approaches to musical tuning|music of the world]]. [[Historical temperaments|Historically]], European music treated the perfect fifth as consonant long before it treated the major third—specifically [[5/4]]—as consonant. In the present day, the dominant tuning [[12edo]] approximates 3/2 very accurately.

A [[Chain of fifths|chain of just perfect fifths]] generates [[Pythagorean tuning]]. The chain continues indefinitely and theoretically never returns to the starting note. A chain that ends at seven notes generates the historically important [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale #Iteration of the fifth|Pythagorean diatonic scale]]. This scale is also the 7 natural notes of all "pyth-spine" notations, in which all uninflected notes are ~~pythogorean~~, such as [[HEJI]], [[Sagittal notation|Sagittal]], [[Ups and downs notation|ups and downs]], [[FJS]] and [[color notation]].

A [[Chain of fifths|chain of just perfect fifths]] generates [[Pythagorean tuning]]. The chain continues indefinitely and theoretically never returns to the starting note. A chain that ends at seven notes generates the historically important [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale #Iteration of the fifth|Pythagorean diatonic scale]]. This scale is also the 7 natural notes of all "pyth-spine" notations, in which all uninflected notes are Pythagorean, such as [[HEJI]], [[Sagittal notation|Sagittal]], [[Ups and downs notation|ups and downs]], [[FJS]] and [[color notation]].

Music using unusual intervals can be very disorienting. The presence of perfect fifths can provide a "ground" that make it less so. Some composers deliberately use tunings that lack fifths, to make their music sound more [[xenharmonic]].

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Because 3/2 is a very simple and concordant interval, it is still recognizable even when heavily tempered. Often it is tempered so that an octave-reduced stack of fourths or fifths approximates some other interval. Some examples:

[[Meantone]] temperament flattens the fifth from just (to around 695 cents) such that the major third generated by stacking four fifths is closer to (or even identical to) 5/4. The minor 3rd generated by stacking three fourths is closer to 6/5.

[[Meantone]] temperament flattens the fifth from just (to around 695-698 cents) such that the major third generated by stacking four fifths is closer to (or even identical to) 5/4. The minor 3rd generated by stacking three fourths is closer to 6/5.

[[Superpyth]] temperaments ''sharpen'' the fifth from just so that the major third is closer to 9/7 and the minor third is closer to 7/6. Thus the minor 7th 16/9 approximates 7/4 instead of 9/5.

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 {{Wikipedia|Perfect fifth}}
-'''3/2''', the '''just perfect fifth''', is a very [[consonance|consonant]] interval, due to the numerator and denominator of its ratio being very small numbers. Only the [[2/1|octave]] and the [[3/1|tritave]] have smaller numbers.
+'''3/2''', the '''just perfect fifth''', is a very [[consonance|consonant]] interval, due to the numerator and denominator of its ratio being very small numbers, with only the [[2/1|octave]] and the [[3/1|tritave]] having smaller numbers. As such, it is very important in western music and many musical traditions, and approximating it is key in systems like [[12edo]] and other [[EDO]]s.
+__TOC__
+{{todo|improve synopsis}}
+{{Clear}}
 == Properties ==
 For harmonic [[timbre|timbres]], the loudest harmonics are usually the second and third ones (2/1 and 3/1). 3/2 is the interval between these two harmonics (which incidentally makes 3/2 [[superparticular]]). Thus 3/2 is easy to tune by ear, and it's easy to hear if it's mistuned.
@@ Line 22: / Line 24: @@
 Variations of the perfect fifth (whether [[just]] or tempered) appear in most [[Approaches to musical tuning|music of the world]]. [[Historical temperaments|Historically]], European music treated the perfect fifth as consonant long before it treated the major third&mdash;specifically [[5/4]]&mdash;as consonant. In the present day, the dominant tuning [[12edo]] approximates 3/2 very accurately.
-A [[Chain of fifths|chain of just perfect fifths]] generates [[Pythagorean tuning]]. The chain continues indefinitely and theoretically never returns to the starting note. A chain that ends at seven notes generates the historically important [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale #Iteration of the fifth|Pythagorean diatonic scale]]. This scale is also the 7 natural notes of all "pyth-spine" notations, in which all uninflected notes are pythogorean, such as [[HEJI]], [[Sagittal notation|Sagittal]], [[Ups and downs notation|ups and downs]], [[FJS]] and [[color notation]].
+A [[Chain of fifths|chain of just perfect fifths]] generates [[Pythagorean tuning]]. The chain continues indefinitely and theoretically never returns to the starting note. A chain that ends at seven notes generates the historically important [[Wikipedia:Diatonic scale #Iteration of the fifth|Pythagorean diatonic scale]]. This scale is also the 7 natural notes of all "pyth-spine" notations, in which all uninflected notes are Pythagorean, such as [[HEJI]], [[Sagittal notation|Sagittal]], [[Ups and downs notation|ups and downs]], [[FJS]] and [[color notation]].
 Music using unusual intervals can be very disorienting. The presence of perfect fifths can provide a "ground" that make it less so. Some composers deliberately use tunings that lack fifths, to make their music sound more [[xenharmonic]].
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 Because 3/2 is a very simple and concordant interval, it is still recognizable even when heavily tempered. Often it is tempered so that an octave-reduced stack of fourths or fifths approximates some other interval. Some examples:
-[[Meantone]] temperament flattens the fifth from just (to around 695 cents) such that the major third generated by stacking four fifths is closer to (or even identical to) 5/4. The minor 3rd generated by stacking three fourths is closer to 6/5.
+[[Meantone]] temperament flattens the fifth from just (to around 695-698 cents) such that the major third generated by stacking four fifths is closer to (or even identical to) 5/4. The minor 3rd generated by stacking three fourths is closer to 6/5.
 [[Superpyth]] temperaments ''sharpen'' the fifth from just so that the major third is closer to 9/7 and the minor third is closer to 7/6. Thus the minor 7th 16/9 approximates 7/4 instead of 9/5.