Mercury meantone: Difference between revisions
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Mercury Meantone is a non-octave variant of [[meantone]] that sharpens the octave slightly so the individual tones and semitones are the relatively simple pure ratios of [19/17] and [15/14]. The ratio between large and small steps is 1.61213228, extremely close to the golden ratio phi, and so mercury meantone is extremely close to [[Golden_meantone|golden meantone]] in sound, only with more consonant small steps and slightly less consonant 3rds & 5ths. On instruments which have slightly inharmonic partials, which as a result are often tuned with slightly stretched octaves to compensate like pianos, it's imperfect octaves actually become an advantage over theoretically perfect ones. It exceeds the octave by [557122275/556583944], or the mercurial comma. | Mercury Meantone is a non-octave variant of [[meantone]] that sharpens the octave slightly so the individual tones and semitones are the relatively simple pure ratios of [[19/17]] and [[15/14]]. The ratio between large and small steps is 1.61213228, extremely close to the golden ratio phi, and so mercury meantone is extremely close to [[Golden_meantone|golden meantone]] in sound, only with more consonant small steps and slightly less consonant 3rds & 5ths. On instruments which have slightly inharmonic partials, which as a result are often tuned with slightly stretched octaves to compensate like pianos, it's imperfect octaves actually become an advantage over theoretically perfect ones. It exceeds the octave by [557122275/556583944], or the mercurial comma. | ||
Revision as of 20:30, 25 September 2020
Mercury Meantone is a non-octave variant of meantone that sharpens the octave slightly so the individual tones and semitones are the relatively simple pure ratios of 19/17 and 15/14. The ratio between large and small steps is 1.61213228, extremely close to the golden ratio phi, and so mercury meantone is extremely close to golden meantone in sound, only with more consonant small steps and slightly less consonant 3rds & 5ths. On instruments which have slightly inharmonic partials, which as a result are often tuned with slightly stretched octaves to compensate like pianos, it's imperfect octaves actually become an advantage over theoretically perfect ones. It exceeds the octave by [557122275/556583944], or the mercurial comma.