Musical scales and temperament
We have talked about pitch,
loudness, and quality for a single
tone, but we haven't talked about
sequences of tones and what makes
them musical. If you sing a simple
melody and then sing it higher, you
say it is the same melody or "tune",
but what is the same about it? This is the area of tuning and temperament and the building up of musical scales.
What are the basic assumptions about human pitch perception that underly the buildup of musical scales?
What is meant by "musical interval"?
Why are the musical fourth and fifth used for the buildup of musical scales?
Describe the Pythagorean and Just musical scales.
How is today's common Equal Temperament scale constructed?
What is the basis for "cents" notation? What are its advantages?
What is the just noticeable difference in cents?
Describe how the major triad differs between Just, Pythagorean, and Equal Temperament.
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