Peterson VS-R StroboRack - Manual (Page 22)

22
A Word About Temperaments
Musical temperaments are systems used to determine where each note in the octave (12 notes) is to be placed in relation to the others. The most commonly used
temperament in modern music is the Equal Temperament, in which the “space” or interval between each note and its immediate neighbor is always 100.0 cents.
However, there are many other methods used to divide the octave. These temperaments are called Unequal. Press the Temp button and use the data wheel to scroll
through the different temperaments:
Equal (EQU): All semitone intervals are exactly 100.0 cents wide.
Just Major (JMA): Just intonation is possibly the oldest known way of dividing the octave. The Just Major version features beatless major thirds, used to tune brass
& woodwind ensembles.
Just Intonation is often called “Natural” tuning, because of its consonant intervals. It is usually used by brass players to enhance the sound of ensemble playing.
Elements of this are also used in choral intonation.
Just Minor (JMI): Beatless minor thirds, see above.
Quarter (¼) Comma Meantone* (4MT): Meantone temperament, used for harpsichord.
One Sixth (1/6 th ) Comma Meantone* (6MT): Meantone temperament used for early music instruments such as lute, viol, viola da gamba etc.
Pythagorean (PYT): Beatless fifths, introduced by Greek mathematician Pythagoras (569 – 475 BC).
Werckmeister III* (WRK): Introduced by German organist Andreas Werckmeister (1645 - 1706), for tuning organ and harpsichord. Flexible tuning by which some
distant keys are playable. Each key retains a particular color.
Kirnberger III* (KRN): Composer, theoretician and student of Bach, Johann Philipp Kirnberger (1721-1783) conceived the Kirnberger temperament. It is often
referred to as the simplest of temperaments, having no pure thirds except the C-E interval, thus lending itself to music written in C Major. Avoid pieces in B, F# or Db
which were rare at the time of inception. For tuning organ and harpsichord.
Kellner (KLN): The original “wohltemperirte Clavier” (well tempered) tuning introduced by Bach in the early 1700s and rediscovered by Professor Herbert Anton
Kellner in the 1970s. The well-tempered fifths are almost all equal, being reduced by 1/5 of a Pythagorean comma (4.7 cents).
Young* (YNG): Thomas Young (1773 – 1829) introduced the original RGB theory of color. Following that, he applied similar thought to musical temperament. C & F
are stable and there are some particularly smooth sounding 3rds, 4ths and 5
th scattered among the keys. Used widely in forte piano tuning and harpsichord.
Vallotti* (VAL): Francesco Antonio Vallotti’s (1697-1780) well temperament for harpsichord is very close to Equal temperament. It is one of the mildest of the classic
well temperaments.
Rameau* (RAM): This late French Baroque temperament by Jean-Philippe Rameau (1683 - 1764) is also known as “Temperament Ordinaire” and contains three
beatless major thirds.
*Temperaments marked with an asterisk are often tuned using a Concert A setting of A=415Hz or A=392Hz depending on the period the music to be played was written in.
**Buzz Feiten Tuning System is a registered trademark of Buzz Feiten Design and has no affiliation with Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc.
*** Dobro is a registered trademark of the Gibson Guitar Corp. and has no affiliation with Peterson Electro-Musical Products, Inc.