We will explain how to calculate cents later, for now we will give an example of comparing intervals using cents.
Temeperament | C4 | E4 | Cents | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Major third, Pitagorean tuning | 260 | 329.06 | 408 | |
Major third, just intonation | 260 | 325 | 386 |
There is a difference of 22 cents (408 - 386 = 22) between thirds (thanks to the magic of cents, we calculate the difference by subtraction). In equal temperament, a half-step has 100 cents. So the difference between thirds is almost 1/4 semitone. The use of cents helps to visualize the difference between intervals.
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