Definitions of tuning terms
© 1998 by Joseph L. Monzo
All definitions by Joe Monzo unless otherwise cited
Pythagorean
an adjective describing the construction of a scale or musical
system by successions of 3/2's (just "perfect fifths")
[from Partch 1974, Genesis
of a Music, 2nd ed., Da Capo Press, New York, p. 75]
[from Joe Monzo, JustMusic: A New Harmony]
Pertaining to the philosopher Pythagoras.
In tuning theory,
Pythagorean refers to a system of tuning by
Perfect Fourths,
Fifths and
Octaves.
Important Pythagorean
intervals are:
[from John Chalmers, Divisions of the Tetrachord]
In JustMusic terminology, such a system
would be described as a cycle of powers of 3. Pythagoras was
given credit in ancient Greece for discovering the properties
of musical ratio numbers, with an emphasis on what we would
today call powers of 3.
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