Just Intervals?

[Robin Hufford]

Bradley,
this was meant to go with the previous posting.

." the fundamental nature of just intervals; they are the paradigm of
the tempered intervals we are accustomed to.
I don't think that I understand this statement clearly. But I did not
mean to imply that tempered intervals can start to sound 'just' simply
because we are accustomed to them."

I am saying that tempered intervals are simply  just intervals that are
out of tune.  When we hear a tempered third its effect is of a third
whether tempered or not.  Even though, the third is simply out of tune,
we are able to tolerate the dissonance the tempering represents  because
it harkens back essentially to the fundamental character of the third,
that is the just version.  As it happens  thirds and a sixths, whether
major or minor,  are able to be more less out of tune and yet, allow the
illusion of the true interval  to be retained,  relative to similar
capabilities of  a perfect fourth, fifth or an octave because they are
less "sharply  defined' to use, I think, Benande's phrase.  That is to
say, some mistuning of these intervals, (the thirds and sixths) does not
create the sense of a failed, intolerable interval which occurs with a
proportionate mistuning of the sharply defined intervals.  This is what
I mean when I say "they are the paradign of the tempered intervals we
are accustomed to."

"Bradley M. Snook" wrote:

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