noun

temperament

A system for adjusting the intervals between musical notes.

The piano uses equal temperament to play in every key.

Etymology

The Latin source concerns balanced proportions. Musical temperament adjusts intervals to make a workable tuning system across the instrument's range.

More examples

The harpsichord sounds different when we change its temperament.
Some historical temperaments make certain keys sound more harmonious than others.
The tuner chooses a temperament suited to the music.

temperament · temperaments

temper verb — To adjust musical intervals for tuning.

tuning: Broadly means setting pitches, not specifically distributing adjustments among intervals.