Neidhardt Temperament vs. Young Temperament
Compare the tuning characteristics of Neidhardt Temperament and Young Temperament — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Neidhardt Temperament | Young Temperament |
|---|---|---|
| Category | well-temperament | well-temperament |
| Formula Type | cent-offsets | cent-offsets |
| Historical Era | Baroque / Classical | Classical |
| Key Advantage | Closest well-temperament to equal temperament — very flexible key use. | Gentle key color with pure-leaning thirds in flat-side keys; very playable in all keys. |
| Key Limitation | Minimal key color differentiation; the subtle differences may be inaudible on some instruments. | Modest key character differences may feel too uniform for some Baroque repertoire. |
| Typical Use | Late Baroque through Classical repertoire where equal temperament proximity is preferred. | Classical and Romantic keyboard music; frequently cited in tuning comparisons. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Young Temperament minus Neidhardt Temperament: positive means Young Temperament is sharper.
| Note | Neidhardt Temperament (¢) | Young Temperament (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +3.91 | +7.82 | +3.91 |
| Db4 | +1.96 | +1.96 | 0.00 |
| D4 | +1.96 | +1.96 | 0.00 |
| Eb4 | +3.91 | +9.78 | +5.87 |
| E4 | -1.96 | -1.96 | 0.00 |
| F4 | +5.87 | +5.87 | 0.00 |
| Gb4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| G4 | +1.96 | +5.87 | +3.91 |
| Ab4 | +1.96 | +1.96 | 0.00 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +3.91 | +7.82 | +3.91 |
| B4 | -1.96 | -1.96 | 0.00 |
When to Choose Each
Choose Neidhardt Temperament when:
Choose Neidhardt Temperament for Baroque keyboard repertoire spanning multiple keys — especially works that tour the circle of fifths. Its varied key color gives each tonality a distinctive musical character.
Choose Young Temperament when:
Choose Young Temperament for Baroque keyboard repertoire spanning multiple keys — especially works that tour the circle of fifths. Its varied key color gives each tonality a distinctive musical character.
Historical Context
Both Neidhardt Temperament and Young Temperament are well temperaments from the Baroque era, designed to make all 24 major and minor keys usable while preserving key-specific color. Both emerged as alternatives to meantone that allowed performance of works like Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier without re-tuning. They differ in how the Pythagorean comma is distributed across the circle.
- Neidhardt Temperament
- Developed by Johann Georg Neidhardt (1724) — Baroque / Classical era
- Young Temperament
- Developed by Thomas Young (1800) — Classical era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Neidhardt Temperament, Young Temperament, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
