Meantonelike

Meantonelike is a term used in music theory and tuning studies to describe tunings, practices, or sound characteristics that approximate, but do not exactly reproduce, the properties of meantone temperament. The coinage blends meantone with the suffix -like to indicate resemblance rather than identity.

In practice, meantonelike tunings appear in historical instrument reconstructions, computer simulations, and experimental ensembles seeking a consonant sonority associated with medieval and Renaissance temperaments while offering greater flexibility in key relationships than strict meantone allows.

Common features include sharpening of certain intervals to resemble meantone consonance and a deliberate tempering of fifths or reallocation of the syntonic comma to improve overall tonal balance. A meantonelike system typically provides a workable compromise between the purity of intervals and modal versatility, but it is not tied to a single, canonical set of ratios. The approach is often chosen to facilitate modulation, modern instrument practicality, or specific repertoire needs while retaining a distinctly historical character.

Because the definition is not standardized, practitioners specify their target ratios, keyboard range, and tuning algorithm when employing the term. Critics note that such vagueness can hinder cross-study comparisons, so authors typically document the intended temperament parameters explicitly. See also meantone temperament, temperaments, historical tunings, just intonation, and historical musicology.