A Guide to Musical Temperament

On keyboard instruments, tuning pure fifth intervals causes octaves to be out-of-tune. A temperament is a system of tuning in which the tuning of the fifths is altered to keep the octaves in-tune, and to allow all notes of the musical scale to be usable. A Guide to Musical Temperament is an introduction to the subject of how the twelve notes of the musical scale are tuned on keyboard instruments such as the harpsichord, clavichord, piano, and organ. This book covers all the various aspects of temperament, including a progressive discussion of the theoretical basis for temperament, the musical implications of a temperament's characteristics, and the relationship of the theoretical with the practical. Giving procedures and techniques for tuning keyboard instruments, along with descriptions and step-by-step instructions for setting temperaments, the book also includes supplementary notes such as advanced calculations and references.

By Thomas Donahue

...an excellent overview to the subject of musical temperament...This is a great book for any keyboard performer to investigate...This useful volume is highly recommended to all musicians and should be included in the music division of colleges and universities libraries. American Reference Books Annual ...a convenient introduction in English to this important topic...a good survey of musical temperament. The American Organist The writing is practical, and no space is wasted on mere numerology...I have checked much of Donahue's arithmetic and not found any errors...No one who wants to understand temperaments should be in any doubt about how much systematic work is required, but Thomas Donahue's book goes a long way towards making it as easy and rewarding as it can be. The British Clavichord Society Newsletter Donahue, a musician and instrument builder, presents a handbook for keyboardists who tune their own instruments, such as the harpsichord, clavichord, and fortepiano. He explains the tuning process and related issues, historical factors, and theories including frequency, ratios, cents, fixed intonation, and the harmonic series. Sixteen temperaments are discussed and compared in detail. The second half of the book is a reference for specifics such as near-equal temperament, derivation of the cent equation, and has temperament data, spreadsheets, and instructions in musical notation. Reference and Research Book News