wolf

an "unusual" interval in a given tuning system and style which is felt not to be freely substitutable for an "expected" variety of the same interval.

Sometimes it is asserted that "Wolf" intervals are "unusable" or "unplayable," but this judgment is both contextual and often partial: there are often specific sonorities and usages where these intervals are musically useful even in styles where they are generally considered to be "too out-of-tune" for most purposes.

[from Margo Schulter, posting to Tuning Digest # 1597]

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