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pierrectoday at 5:09 PM0 repliesview on HN

Both statements are true. We have a strong tendency for integer ratios in harmony, and just intonation often sounds out of tune.

Integer ratios are the base upon which harmony is built. Temperament is a subtle modification that sounds very close to integer ratios, but allows more complex harmonic structures where dissonance is evenly spread out across all the relationships between tones.