mean-tone tuning: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
LowFormal / Technical
Quick answer
What does “mean-tone tuning” mean?
A historical system of tuning keyboard instruments where the fifths are made slightly smaller than acoustically pure, producing sweeter-sounding major thirds in some keys at the expense of making others unusable.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A historical system of tuning keyboard instruments where the fifths are made slightly smaller than acoustically pure, producing sweeter-sounding major thirds in some keys at the expense of making others unusable.
More broadly, it refers to any temperament or tuning system based on a division of the octave into a specific number of equal or proportionally related intervals, historically used before the widespread adoption of equal temperament.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant differences in meaning or usage. Spelling remains consistent.
Connotations
Technical, historical, associated with early music and specialist instrument builders.
Frequency
Equally rare in both dialects, confined to specialist discourse.
Grammar
How to Use “mean-tone tuning” in a Sentence
[Instrument] is tuned in/using mean-tone tuning.Mean-tone tuning was employed for [purpose/period].They use a [specific type] of mean-tone tuning.Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “mean-tone tuning” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The harpsichordist requested the technician to mean-tone tune the instrument.
- We should mean-tone tune this organ for the Baroque programme.
American English
- The tuner mean-tone tuned the historic piano for the recital.
- Can you mean-tone tune this clavichord?
adverb
British English
- The instrument was tuned mean-tone, as was the practice.
- It is difficult to play chromatically on a mean-tone tuned instrument.
American English
- The organ is tuned mean-tone, limiting the usable keys.
- She prefers to play mean-tone for authenticity.
adjective
British English
- The mean-tone organ had a wonderfully resonant character in C major.
- They performed the piece in its original mean-tone setting.
American English
- The mean-tone harpsichord sounded perfect for the Frescobaldi toccata.
- He is an expert in mean-tone temperaments.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Virtually never used.
Academic
Used in musicology, historical performance practice, and acoustics papers.
Everyday
Extremely rare; only in conversations among musicians specialising in early music.
Technical
The primary context. Used by instrument tuners, restorers, and early music performers.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “mean-tone tuning”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “mean-tone tuning”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “mean-tone tuning”
- Using it as a synonym for any old or non-standard tuning.
- Confusing it with 'well-tempered' or 'equal-tempered' tuning.
- Pronouncing 'mean' to imply 'nasty' rather than 'average'.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No. 'Well-tempered' (as in Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier) generally refers to tunings that allow music in all keys, often a compromise. Mean-tone is a specific, older type of unequal temperament that favours a few keys at the expense of others.
It is very difficult. Music with extensive chromaticism or modulations to remote keys will sound unacceptably out of tune because the 'wolf intervals' (extremely dissonant intervals) in mean-tone become prominent.
It produced beautifully consonant, pure-sounding major thirds in the most commonly used keys of the time, which was highly prized in Renaissance and early Baroque music, before complex harmonic modulation became standard.
Yes, primarily by performers and ensembles specialising in historically informed performance of music from before c. 1700, and by organ builders for restoring or constructing historic instruments.
A historical system of tuning keyboard instruments where the fifths are made slightly smaller than acoustically pure, producing sweeter-sounding major thirds in some keys at the expense of making others unusable.
Mean-tone tuning is usually formal / technical in register.
Mean-tone tuning: in British English it is pronounced /ˈmiːn təʊn ˈtjuːnɪŋ/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈmin toʊn ˈtunɪŋ/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “None”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of the 'mean' as the mathematical 'average' tone size, sitting between the pure but problematic intervals of just intonation and the uniform but characterless ones of equal temperament.
Conceptual Metaphor
TUNING IS A COMPROMISE / TUNING IS A HISTORICAL ARTEFACT.
Practice
Quiz
What is the primary characteristic that defines mean-tone tuning?