MeanTones vs Do Sol

Why is that wolf lurking in the clavichord? Because it skulks along with the meantone tuning system, used by most keyboards of the 16th and 17th centuries. What is quarter-comma meantone temperament and how does it work? Which problem does it solve, and which problem does it create? MeanTones answers your questions with some math, some music, and lots of fun. Choose a note and an interval to play on the Piano, or switch to the Cheesy Organ if you’re brave. Either way, you’ll hear the interval in meantone, and you’ll see a complete chart of the numbers comparing it to the same interval in equal temperament. The Background Information explains the meantone tuning system in detail, and the Timeline puts it all in perspective. Press “Play Game” to put your knowledge to the test. You see and hear an interval, and quick — is it a wolf? If you’re right, you add a new layer of bricks to your house. But if you’re wrong, the wolf will huff and puff and blow your house down!

Do Sol is a "pitch pipe" app for congregational song leaders that makes finding the starting pitch of a hymn fast and easy. Instead of trying to figure out which letter name to choose on your pitch pipe, you can simply count the number of sharps or flats in the key signature and tap either of the orange buttons that many times to "lock in" the correct DO pitch. Then, just tap the large gray tone pad to sound the DO. If you want the higher or lower octave, tap the top or bottom of the tone pad when an alternate octave DO appears. While the DO is sounding, if you like, you can drag your finger up and down to hear DO MI SOL, etc. This can be useful if you are still learning how to navigate from the DO pitch to the starting note of the hymn. If practicing at home, first set the key signature with the orange buttons, then tap and drag until the note sounding on the staff matches the starting note in your hymnal. There is also a "minor mode" in the top right corner. In minor mode, most of the tone pad will sound LA instead of DO. However, if you prefer to hear DO, the top left notch of the tone pad will sound DO, and you can drag down to hear DO-TI-LA. At any time, you can tap the treble clef to reset the app to C major. The pitch wheel in the center acts more like a traditional pitch pipe, although it has a much larger (virtual) two octave range. Finally, there are scrub bars on either edge of the screen for quickly moving through either key signatures (on the left) or pitches (on the right). You can use this app in whatever way makes the most sense for you: pitch by key signature, pitch by letter name, just tap for a quick DO sound, or tap-and-drag for DO-MI-SOL, etc. "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise" (Hebrews 13:15a, NIV)