Quarter-Comma Meantone vs. Third-Comma Meantone
Compare the tuning characteristics of Quarter-Comma Meantone and Third-Comma Meantone — cent deviations per note, practical guidance, and historical context.
At a Glance
| Feature | Quarter-Comma Meantone | Third-Comma Meantone |
|---|---|---|
| Category | meantone | meantone |
| Formula Type | fractional-comma | fractional-comma |
| Historical Era | Renaissance / Early Baroque | Renaissance / Baroque |
| Key Advantage | Pure major thirds (5:4) in the most common Renaissance/Baroque keys. | Pure minor thirds (6:5) — better suited to minor-mode Renaissance music. |
| Key Limitation | A dissonant wolf fifth (between G# and Eb) makes enharmonic keys unusable. | Wider wolf fifth and less pure major thirds than quarter-comma meantone. |
| Typical Use | Renaissance and early Baroque keyboard music in flat-key signatures. | Renaissance music with emphasis on minor thirds and minor-key tonality. |
Cent Deviations: All 12 Notes vs. Equal Temperament
Positive cents = sharper than equal temperament. Negative = flatter. Difference column shows Third-Comma Meantone minus Quarter-Comma Meantone: positive means Third-Comma Meantone is sharper.
| Note | Quarter-Comma Meantone (¢) | Third-Comma Meantone (¢) | Difference (¢) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C4 | +10.26 | +13.69 | +3.43 |
| Db4 | -13.69 | -17.59 | -3.90 |
| D4 | +3.42 | +5.21 | +1.79 |
| Eb4 | +20.53 | +27.37 | +6.84 |
| E4 | -3.42 | -3.42 | 0.00 |
| F4 | +13.69 | +18.90 | +5.21 |
| Gb4 | -10.26 | -13.69 | -3.43 |
| G4 | +6.85 | +9.78 | +2.93 |
| Ab4 | -17.11 | -22.80 | -5.69 |
| A4 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Bb4 | +17.11 | +22.48 | +5.37 |
| B4 | -6.85 | -9.78 | -2.93 |
When to Choose Each
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.
Choose Third-Comma Meantone when:
Choose Third-Comma Meantone for a balance between pure minor thirds and accessible distant keys. Historically used alongside quarter-comma for some Baroque keyboard works.
Historical Context
Both Quarter-Comma Meantone and Third-Comma Meantone belong to the meantone family of temperaments, which dominated keyboard music from roughly 1500-1700. They differ in how much of the syntonic comma is distributed across the circle of fifths, giving each a slightly different balance between third purity and usable key range. Composers including Frescobaldi, Byrd, and early Bach likely encountered both.
- Quarter-Comma Meantone
- Developed by Pietro Aaron (c. 1523) — Renaissance / Early Baroque era
- Third-Comma Meantone
- Developed by Francisco de Salinas (1577) — Renaissance / Baroque era
Compare Temperaments in Tunable — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports Quarter-Comma Meantone, Third-Comma Meantone, and 14 other tuning systems. Hear the difference in real-time as you play.
