Directory of Tuning Systems Resources

Home > Arts > Music > Theory > Tuning Systems

Sites which deal with tuning systems (historical and modern), just intonation, and theories of tuning, temperament, and harmelodics. In Baroque times the primary musical "experiments" were not really in melody, rhythm, or harmony, but in instrument building and tuning systems. Likewise, today the things which separate ambient music artists such as Tricky from experimental artists such as the Deep Listening Band or Harry Partch are in the depth to which experimental artists test new tuning systems.

Subcategories

• Just Intonation
• Magazines and E-zines
• Microtonal
• Software

Resources in This Category

• 2.500 Years of Musical Temperaments

  http://www.teoria.com/en/articles/temperaments/index.php
  An essay by José Rodríguez Alvira, describes tuning systems since Bronze Age.

• A Beginner's Guide To Temperament

  http://www.albany.edu/piporg-l/tmprment.html
  Written for the electronic mailing list Piporg-l by Stephen Bicknell.

• Alternate Temperaments: Theory and Philosophy

  http://www.terryblackburn.us/music/temperament/index.html
  Introduction to tuning systems, based on the Western cents system. Written by Terry Blackburn.

• An Introduction to Historical Tunings

  http://www.kylegann.com/histune.html
  Discusses the development of tuning systems in Medieval Europe.

• Historical Tuning

  http://historicaltuning.com/
  Includes information on the differences between equal temperament and well temperament and why Bach rejected equal temperament and celebrated well temperament.

• Historical Tunings on the Modern Concert Grand

  http://www.piano-tuners.org/edfoote/
  Traditional tunings of the grand piano and Beethoven's specific tunings.

• Johann Sebastian Bach's tuning

  http://www.larips.com/
  Previously unknown temperament found on the autograph title page of the "Well-Tempered Clavier"; published 2005. Includes explanations and links to scholarly articles.

• Mean-tone Temperament for Lute

  http://home.planet.nl/~ooije006/david/writings/meantone_f.html
  An article by David van Ooijen about equal and mean-tone temperaments on stringed instruments.

• Pitch and Scale of the Great Highland Bagpipe

  http://publish.uwo.ca/~emacphe3/pipes/acoustics/pipescale.html
  Describes proper tunings and scale construction for the Great Highland Bagpipe.

• The Circle of Fifths

  http://hubpages.com/entertainment/Cycle-of-Fifths
  An introduction to equal temperament for guitarists who have problems tuning their guitars.

• The Development of Musical Tuning Systems

  http://www.peterfrazer.co.uk/music/tunings.html
  The historical development of musical tuning systems from ancient Greek origins to the development of equal temperament.

• Understanding Temperaments

  http://leware.net/temper/temper.htm
  Temperaments and tunings used on harpsichord and organ.

• World Scale Depository

  http://www.anaphoria.com/depos.html
  Construction of a reference center of scale measurements throughout the world.

 

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