---
title: "Equal temperament"
slug: equal-temperament
definition: "Tuning system that divides the octave into twelve exactly equal semitones, adopted by the Asturian gaita so it could play in a band and alongside other instruments."
synonyms: ["tempered tuning", "equal temperament Asturian gaita", "tempered scale"]
publishedAt: 2026-06-24
---
**Equal temperament** divides the octave into twelve exactly equal
semitones. It's the tuning system used by a piano, a modern guitar or any
contemporary fixed-tuning instrument, and it lets instruments of
different origins play together without frequency clashes.

The **Asturian gaita** historically tuned against its own **roncón**
—each instrument was an island—, which made it impossible to bring
together several gaitas from different workshops or to play alongside
melodic instruments like the piano. The adoption of equal temperament,
driven by craftsman Alberto Fernández Velasco in the 1980s and 1990s,
changed that picture radically: it made **gaita bands** possible and
opened the gaita up to collaboration with any other instrument in the
contemporary world.

That change came at a minimal cost: the purity of the intimate dialogue
between a specific instrument's punteru and roncón was traded for a
universal system. Most gaiteros and listeners never notice the
difference; the gain —being able to play together— is obvious.