A440 tuning and equal temperament dominate modern keyboards but not historical or organ practice

Evidence

Figure 3.21 shows the f0 values and the note naming convention used in this book for eight octaves, four either side of middle C, tuned in equal tem­ perament with a tuning reference of 440 Hz for A4: the A above middle C. The equal tempered system is found on modern keyboard instruments, but there is increasing interest among performing musicians and listeners alike in the use of unequal temperament. This may involve the use of original instruments or electronic synthesizers which incorporate various tuning sys­ tems. Padgham (1986) lists approximately 100 pipe organs in Britain which are tuned to an unequal temperament in addition to the McClure organ. — David Howard, Jamie Angus, coustics and Psychoacoustics, 1070

Categorization

• XREF: Links to historically-informed performance practice and why unequal temperament survives, relevant to interpreting music through psychoacoustics. — connects to: Whether combination tones are musical depends on the tuning system; No keyboard tuning can make every key sound justly intonated; Equal temperament tuning made organ mutation stops sound beaty and unfashionable

Broader Connections

• Equal temperament tuning made organ mutation stops sound beaty and unfashionable #corroborates (0.90)
• No keyboard tuning can make every key sound justly intonated #qualifies (0.80)
• Whether combination tones are musical depends on the tuning system #expands (0.75)