Choral & Vocal Ensembles
A cappella choirs, barbershop quartets, and vocal chamber ensembles naturally gravitate toward just intonation — the tuning system our ears find most consonant. Without fixed-pitch instruments imposing equal temperament, singers can lock onto pure harmonic ratios and produce chords that are completely beatless.
Recommended Temperaments
Practical Guidance
Practical guidance: Train your ensemble to listen for the disappearance of beats in sustained chords. A pure major third (5:4 ratio, -13.7 cents from equal) sounds noticeably warmer than an equal-tempered major third. Use Tunable to show singers exactly how far each pitch deviates from equal temperament — the goal is to match the just-intonation targets by ear, not to read numbers. For minor key repertoire, just intonation minor (6:5 minor thirds) gives equivalent purity in the minor mode.
Instruments for This Context
Tune with the Right Temperament — Get Tunable.
Tunable supports all 4 recommended temperaments for Choral & Vocal Ensembles — and 16 tuning systems total. See exact Hz values in real time as you play.
