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Dilettante's Dictionary

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Temperament

 In the tuning of a musical instrument to a scale, temperament is the compromise, or deliberate mistuning, of pure or just intervals so the various frequency ratios between notes of the scale are compatible with octaves. This compromise is called a temperament, of which there are theoretically an infinite number. Also called tempered tuning. See meantone, equal temperament, just intonation, syntonic comma, diatonic comma.

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