Comparison between tunings: Pythagorean, equal-tempered, quarter-comma meantone, and others. For each, the common origin is arbitrarily chosen as C. The degrees are arranged in the order or the cycle of fifths; as in each of these tunings except just intonation all fifths are of the same size, the tunings appear as straight lines, the slope indicating the relative tempering with respect to Pythagorean, which has pure fifths (3:2, 702 cents). The Pythagorean A♭ (at the left) is at 792 cents, G♯ (at the right) at 816 cents; the difference is the Pythagorean comma. Equal temperament by definition is such that A♭ and G♯ are at the same level. 1⁄4-comma meantone produces the "just" major third (5:4, 386 cents, a syntonic comma lower than the Pythagorean one of 408 cents). 1⁄3-comma meantone produces the "just" minor third (6:5, 316 cents, a syntonic comma higher than the Pythagorean one of 294 cents). In both these meantone temperaments, the enharmony, here the difference between A♭ and G♯, is much larger than in Pythagorean, and with the flat degree higher than the sharp one.Comparison of two sets of musical intervals. The equal-tempered intervals are black; the Pythagorean intervals are green.
Below is a list of intervals expressible in terms of a prime limit (see Terminology), completed by a choice of intervals in various equal subdivisions of the octave or of other intervals.
For commonly encountered harmonic or melodic intervals between pairs of notes in contemporary Western music theory, without consideration of the way in which they are tuned, see Interval (music) § Main intervals.
