F2. selecting a scale – Yamaha CP 33 User Manual

Page 35

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Detailed Settings

CP33 Owner’s Manual

35

Ref

erence

F2. Selecting a Scale

This allows you to select various scales. Equal
Temperament is the most common contemporary piano
tuning scale. However, history has known numerous other
scales, many of which serve as the basis for certain genres of
music. This function lets you explore and experience these
alternate tunings.

Scale

• Setting range:

1: Equal Temperament
2: Pure Major
3: Pure Minor
4: Pythagorean
5: Mean Tone
6: Werckmeister
7: Kirnberger

• Default setting: 1: Equal Temperament

EQUAL TEMPERAMENT
The pitch range of each octave is divided equally into
twelve parts, with each half-step evenly spaced in pitch.
This is the most commonly used tuning in music today.

PURE MAJOR/PURE MINOR
These tunings preserve the pure mathematical intervals of
each scale, especially for triad chords (root, third, fifth).
You can hear this best in actual vocal harmonies—such as
choirs and a cappella singing.

PYTHAGOREAN
This scale was devised by the famous Greek philosopher
and is created from a series of perfect fifths, which are
collapsed into a single octave.
The 3rd in this tuning are slightly unstable, but the 4th
and 5th are beautiful and suitable for some leads.

MEAN-TONE
This scale was created as an improvement on the
Pythagorean scale, by making the major third interval
more "in tune." It was especially popular from the 16th
century to the 18th century. Handel, among others, used
this scale.

WERCKMEISTER/KIRNBERGER
This composite scale combines the Werckmeister and
Kirnberger systems, which were themselves improvements
on the mean-tone and Pythagorean scales. The main
feature of this scale is that each key has its own unique
character. The scale was used extensively during the time of
Bach and Beethoven, and even now it is often used when
performing period music on the harpsichord.

Base Note

If you select a scale other than Equal Temperament, you
need to specify the root. (You can also specify the root note
with Equal Temperament selected, but it will have no
effect. The base note setting is effective for tunings other
than the Equal Temperament tuning.)

• Setting range:

C, C , D, E , E, F, F , G, A , A, B , B

• Default setting: C

• Root indication example

(F )

(G)

(A )

Lower bar indicates flat

Upper bar indicates sharp

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