just intonation

American  

noun

Music.

1. a system of tuning based on the pure perfect fifth and major third.

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just intonation British  

noun

1. a form of tuning employing the pitch intervals of the untempered natural scale, sometimes employed in the playing of the violin, cello, etc

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Etymology

Origin of just intonation

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

just intonation

A proud autodidact, Pitre has moved among long-form electronic drones, mercurial acoustic improvisations and glistening string meditations, all employing just intonation.

From New York Times ● Dec. 28, 2021

Whether or not it aligns your chakras or what-have-you, it could refresh your resistance, or at least set your inner tuning fork humming at a more just intonation.

From Slate ● Mar. 4, 2019

The system also uses the equal-tempered tuning of modern pianos, as well as the more antiquated just intonation, the combination of which results in myriad colors.

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2015

Because Mr. Young guards the Trio so carefully, each transformation over the years — to just intonation, to different instrumentations and now to its “original” length — has fundamentally altered its nature.

From New York Times ● Aug. 19, 2015

The other accommodation with reality that just intonation must make is the fact that a single just-intonation tuning cannot be used to play in multiple keys.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones