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I think a tuning is a set of intervals which an instrument is configured to play. A tuning is also a temperament if it is a compromise of another tuning in orde

I think a tuning is a set of intervals which an instrument is configured to play. A tuning is also a temperament if it is a compromise of another tuning in order to make the configuration technically feasible (or for other convenience reasons). A scale is then some combination of notes within a tuning or temperament? I don't know, it seemed like they were more concerned with nitpicking words than answering your actual question, which was interesting and not hard to understand.

analog31 8y ago
That seems like a reasonable definition. In my view, temperaments only apply to keyboard and electronic instruments. String instruments are tuned so the open strings are in perfect intervals, then we just cope with it. Wind instruments are all over the place, depending on how you blow and how loud. I saw a viola da gamba with double frets, and the gambist told me it was so he could manage different temperaments. An orchestra is untempered, for all practical purposes. I think that a scale and its temperaments are in addition to being an artistic choice, also a technology. Prior to electronic music and professional technicians, a tuning system had to be something that a musician could carry out themselves, possibly quite frequently. The 12 tone system is the simplest consonant system, possibly making it the easiest and quickest to tune.