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Settings
Virtual Technician Settings
15
Temperament
The Temperament setting allows the tuning system used by the CA58 digital piano to be changed from the modern
‘Equal Temperament’ standard to one of the various temperaments popularised during the Renaissance and Baroque
periods. It is also possible to create customised temperaments using the User Temperament function.
* This Virtual Technician setting will affect all sounds.
Temperament types
Temperament type
Description
Equal Temperament (default)
(Equal)
This temperament is the most popular tuning method, and divides the scale into twelve equal semi-
tones. This produces the same chordal intervals in all twelve keys, and has the advantage of limitless
modulation of the key. However, the tonality of each key becomes less characteristic and no chord is in
pure consonance.
Pure Temperament
(Pure Major
/Pure Minor)
This temperament, which eliminates dissonances for thirds and fifths, is still popular in choral music
because of its perfect harmony. Any key modulation will result in dissonances.
* The key of the temperament, and major/minor setting must be correctly matched.
Pythagorean Temperament
(Pythagorean)
This temperament, which uses mathematical ratios to eliminate dissonance for fifths, is very limited for
use with chords, but produces very characteristic melodic lines.
Meantone Temperament
(Meantone)
This temperament, which uses a mean between a major and minor whole tone to eliminate dissonance
for thirds, was devised to eliminate the lack of consonances experienced with certain fifths for the
Mersenne pure temperament.
It produces chords that are more beautiful than those played with equal temperament.
Werckmeister Temperament
(Werckmeister)
Kirnberger Temperament
(Kirnberger)
These two temperaments are placed in between Meantone and Pythagorean. For music with few
accidentals, this temperament produces the beautiful chords of the mean tone, but as accidentals
increase, the temperament produces the characteristic melodies of the Pythagorean temperament.
It is used primarily for classical music written in the Baroque era to revive the original characteristics.
User Temperament
(User)
A custom temperament, created by raising or lowering the pitch of each note in the scale.
1. Selecting the Temperament setting
After entering the Virtual Technician menu (page 80):
Press the
or
buttons to select the Temperament setting.
2. Changing the Temperament type
Press the
or
buttons to cycle through the different
Temperament types.
* To reset the Temperament setting to the default type, press the
and
buttons simultaneously.
* Any changes made to the Temperament setting will remain until the
power is turned off.
* Preferred Temperament settings can be stored to the sound’s memory,
or a Registration memory for convenient recall. Please refer to pages
81 and 33 for more information.
3. Exiting the Temperament setting
Press the FUNCTION button (BACK) to exit the Temperament
setting and return to the Function Menus screen.
