Culture · 6 pages · 12 min
How equal temperament makes all keys usable
Equal temperament divides the octave into twelve equal ratio steps, so every key matches.
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From the opening
Twelve-tone equal temperament divides the octave, the frequency ratio of two to one, into twelve steps of equal ratio, each step multiplying the frequency by the twelfth root of two. Because every semitone is the same size, a melody or a chord keeps its pattern of steps no matter which pitch it starts on, and every key becomes usable on one fixed instrument. The opening covers twelve equal ratio semitones, no key is left with the wolf, and meantone had favored some keys.
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Inside
- Twelve equal ratio semitones
- No key is left with the wolf
- Meantone had favored some keys
- Well temperament is not this sameness
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Twelve-tone equal temperament and the twelfth root of two
- Meantone temperaments and the wolf interval