Just Intonation (Major) vs. Quarter-Comma Meantone
Compare the tuning characteristics of Just Intonation (Major) and Quarter-Comma Meantone — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Just Intonation (Major) | Quarter-Comma Meantone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | just-intonation | meantone |
| Formula Type | just-ratios | fractional-comma |
| Historical Era | Renaissance / Theory | Renaissance / Early Baroque |
| Key Advantage | Perfectly pure major thirds (5:4) and fifths (3:2) in the home key. | Pure major thirds (5:4) in the most common Renaissance/Baroque keys. |
| Key Limitation | Fixed tonal center — modulating to other keys produces out-of-tune intervals. | A dissonant wolf fifth (between G# and Eb) makes enharmonic keys unusable. |
| Typical Use | A cappella choral music, theoretical analysis, and tuning reference for pure intervals. | Renaissance and early Baroque keyboard music in flat-key signatures. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Quarter-Comma Meantone minus Just Intonation (Major): positive means Quarter-Comma Meantone is sharper.
| Note | Just Intonation (Major) (¢) | Quarter-Comma Meantone (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | 0.00 | +10.26 | +10.26 |
| Db4 | -11.73 | -13.69 | -1.96 |
| D4 | +3.91 | +3.42 | -0.49 |
| Eb4 | +15.64 | +20.53 | +4.89 |
| E4 | -13.69 | -3.42 | +10.27 |
| F4 | +1.96 | +13.69 | +11.73 |
| Gb4 | -9.78 | -10.26 | -0.48 |
| G4 | +1.96 | +6.85 | +4.89 |
| Ab4 | -15.64 | -17.11 | -1.47 |
| A4 | -15.64 | 0.00 | +15.64 |
| Bb4 | +17.60 | +17.11 | -0.49 |
| B4 | -11.73 | -6.85 | +4.88 |
When to Choose Each
Choose Just Intonation (Major) when:
Choose Just Intonation (Major) for a cappella choirs, string quartets, and any ensemble exploring pure intonation in the home key. Best suited to music that stays near one tonal center rather than modulating widely.
Choose Quarter-Comma Meantone when:
Choose Quarter-Comma Meantone for Renaissance and early Baroque keyboard music. Its pure major thirds (5:4) give harpsichord and organ repertoire from 1500-1650 its characteristic warm, consonant sound.
Historical Context
Just Intonation (Major) predates meantone temperament historically. Meantone (dominant 1500-1700) emerged as a practical keyboard solution that split the difference between Pythagorean fifths and just-intonation thirds, distributing the syntonic comma to achieve near-pure thirds on keyboard instruments.
- Just Intonation (Major)
- Developed by Gioseffo Zarlino and Renaissance theorists — Renaissance / Theory era
- Quarter-Comma Meantone
- Developed by Pietro Aaron (c. 1523) — Renaissance / Early Baroque era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Just Intonation (Major), Quarter-Comma Meantone, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
