12edo: Difference between revisions
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== Theory == | == Theory == | ||
12edo achieved its position as the standard Western tuning system through a combination of theoretical properties and practicality. It is the smallest number of equal divisions of the octave ([[edo]]) which can seriously claim to represent [[5-limit]] harmony, and it represents a [[meantone]] temperament, tempering out [[81/80]], equating four [[3/2 | 12edo achieved its position as the standard Western tuning system through a combination of theoretical properties and practicality. It is the smallest number of equal divisions of the octave ([[edo]]) which can seriously claim to represent [[5-limit]] harmony, and it represents a [[meantone]] temperament, tempering out [[81/80]], equating four [[3/2]] perfect fifths with the [[5/1|5th harmonic]]. | ||
It divides the octave into twelve equal parts, each of exactly 100 [[cent]]s. It has | It divides the octave into twelve equal parts, each of exactly 100 [[cent]]s. It has an approximate [[3/2]] perfect fifth which is quite accurate at 700 cents, two cents flat of [[just intonation]]. It has a [[5/4]] major third which is 13.7 cents sharp of just, which, while reasonable for its size, is unsatisfactory for some. The [[6/5]] minor third is slightly less accurate than that, being 15.6 cents flat of just. | ||
Before people used 12edo, people used a variety of [[historical temperaments]] such as [[quarter-comma meantone]], and later [[well temperament]]s. By the 20th century, 12edo became dominant primarily due to practical considerations for keyboard instruments and its ability to handle modulation across all keys with reasonable intonation. In actual performance, these deviations from just intonation are often reduced by the tuning adaptations of skilled performers. Modern music theory has increasingly treated 12edo as a system in its own right rather than as an approximation of just intonation or meantone, leading to theoretical approaches such as {{w|serialism}} and much of {{w|jazz harmony}} that derive from 12edo's structure as an equal division rather than its underlying temperament properties.{{cn}} | Before people used 12edo, people used a variety of [[historical temperaments]] such as [[quarter-comma meantone]], and later [[well temperament]]s. By the 20th century, 12edo became dominant primarily due to practical considerations for keyboard instruments and its ability to handle modulation across all keys with reasonable intonation. In actual performance, these deviations from just intonation are often reduced by the tuning adaptations of skilled performers. Modern music theory has increasingly treated 12edo as a system in its own right rather than as an approximation of just intonation or meantone, leading to theoretical approaches such as {{w|serialism}} and much of {{w|jazz harmony}} that derive from 12edo's structure as an equal division rather than its underlying temperament properties.{{cn}} | ||