Xenharmonic Wiki:Manual of Style/Temperament cataloging
This is a guide for where to put and/or find temperament data.
| Note: | As this guide cannot account for all edge cases, editors are advised to use their best judgement on where to put and/or find temperament data. Additionally, nothing about this guide is set in stone; this guide can (and should!) be updated to fit current developments regarding temperament pages. |
General rules
Avoid duplication. A temperament should be catalogued exactly once on the wiki.
Families, clans, and collections
A family has a head that is a full-prime-limit temperament. A clan has a head that is a subgroup temperament. Family and clan pages should both be titled after the full-prime-limit temperament. Rarely, a clan may be referred to by the name of the subgroup temperament + family. For example:
- Archytas family is the rank-3 family of 2.3.5.7 {64/63};
- Archytas clan is the rank-2 clan of 2.3.7 {64/63}.
- Archy family is an alias of archytas clan.
Temperament families and clans should only be created when the head temperament is notable by itself, has multiple branches to higher limits, and for the sake of navigability, is within rank-2 to rank-4. The head temperament should be one of the 7-limit tri-prime subgroups (2.3.5, 2.3.7, 2.5.7, and 3.5.7) for rank-2, the 11-limit analog for rank-3, or the 13-limit analog for rank-4.
Besides families and clans, there are pages that collect temperaments of a certain comma on this wiki. These pages are for temperaments one rank lower than its corresponding family, and are used because some temperaments are more closely associated with the comma than any other or otherwise do not belong to any notable family or clan.
Temperament families, clans, and collections are the bread and butter for documenting individual temperaments on this wiki. Temperament data should be placed there whenever applicable. The specific hierarchy of priority is explained as follows.
If a temperament belongs to an existing family or clan, or one that is supposed to exist according to the rules above, consider putting it there. If a temperament belongs to multiple families or clans, determine if it is a strong extension of the head of each and put it where it is a strong extension of the head. A strong extension is an extension where the generators are not split; it is generally the preferred place for the temperament since the relation between the temperament in question and the head is most clear. And if a temperament is zero or multiple strong extensions at the same time, it may be placed in the family or clan of the simpler subgroup or the simpler head, depending on which is more relevant.
Otherwise, it should be placed in a collection page of the simplest comma tempered out in the temperament.
For example:
- Hemiwürschmidt is found in Hemimean clan, not Würschmidt family, since it is a strong extension of didacus, the head of the hemimean clan, and only a weak extension of würschmidt;
- Dominant is found in Meantone family, since 2.3.5 is simpler than 2.3.7, but schism is found in Archytas clan, since the archytas comma is more "structural" to the temperament.
However, no-2 or no-3 clans should be treated just like collections, since the relation between the members and the head is often not obvious there.
For example:
- Sensi is found in Sensipent family, not Sensamagic clan;
- Miracle is found in Gamelismic clan, not Quince clan.
Other pages
Very high/low accuracy temperaments
The criteria of inclusion for these pages are given in the introductions. Currently no badness constraint is in effect but in future there might be. The head of each entry should only be temperaments of the 7-limit tri-prime subgroups for rank-2, the 11-limit analog for rank-3, or the 13-limit analog for rank-4. Extensions may be put there if they meet the criteria above.
Equivalence continua
Equivalence continua only hold temperament data of the particular subgroup they are defined in. An equivalence continuum for an equal temperament should only be created if the equal temperament is special in some way, e.g., it is a record 5-limit temperament. Any rank-2 temperament of a 7-limit tri-prime subgroup which does not fit in a family or clan should be placed in an equivalence continuum, when applicable.
Miscellaneous 5-limit/7-limit temperaments and catalog of rank-4 temperaments
The pages Miscellaneous 5-limit temperaments and Miscellaneous 7-limit temperaments hold temperament data of the particular limit given in the title, for rank-2 and rank-3 temperaments, respectively.
Any 5-limit rank-2 temperament which does not fit in a family, nor an equivalence continuum, should go to Miscellaneous 5-limit temperaments. Any 7-limit rank-3 temperament which does not fit in a family should go to Miscellaneous 7-limit temperaments. Any 11-limit rank-4 temperament as well as their extensions which does not fit in a family should go to Catalog of rank-4 temperaments.
Subgroup temperaments
Subgroup temperament pages include Subgroup temperaments and the various No-p's subgroup temperaments. Any subgroup temperament should go here unless they fit any of the above categories.
Fractional-octave temperaments and comma pages
Unless necessary, putting temperament data in these pages should generally be avoided. Fractional-octave temperament pages have poor discoverability, whereas temperament data in comma pages tend to be intrusive for average readers.