17/16
| Interval information |
reduced,
reduced harmonic
[sound info]
In 17-limit just intonation, 17/16 is the 17th harmonic, octave reduced, and may be called the large septendecimal semitone. Measuring about 105¢, it is close to the 12edo semitone of 100¢, and thus 12edo can be said to approximate it closely. In a chord, it can function similarly to a jazz "minor ninth" – for instance, 8:10:12:14:17 (although here the interval is 17/8, which is a little less harsh sounding than 17/16). In 17-limit JI, it is treated as the next basic consonance after 13 and 15.
17/16 is one of two superparticular semitones in the 17-limit; the other is 18/17, which measures about 99¢. The difference between them is 289/288, about 6¢. If 12edo is treated as a harmonic system approximating 9 and 17, then 289/288 is tempered out.
There exists a disagreement in different notation systems on whether 17/16 should be notated as a diatonic semitone or a chromatic semitone. In Functional Just System, it is a diatonic semitone, whereas in Helmholtz-Ellis notation, it is a chromatic semitone.
See also
- 32/17 – its octave complement
- 24/17 – its fifth complement
- 17/8 – same interval, one octave higher
- Gallery of just intervals
- List of superparticular intervals