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Regular temperament
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A regular temperament is any tempered system of musical tuning such that each frequency ratio is obtainable as a product of powers of a finite number of generators, or generating frequency ratios. For instance, in 12-TET, the system of music most commonly used in the Western world, the generator is a tempered fifth (700 cents), which is the basis behind the circle of fifths.
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When only two generators are needed, with one of them the octave, this is called "linear temperament". The best-known example of a linear temperaments is meantone temperament, where the generating intervals are usually given in terms of a slightly flattened fifth and the octave. Other linear temperaments include the schismatic temperament of Hermann von Helmholtz and miracle temperament.