In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, a new generation of physical theories were developed in line with the emerging scientific paradigm. Sound was conceived as a periodic sequence of pulses propagating through the air, and the idea was accepted that the degree of high and low sound was related to the period of these pulses. Thus, the coincidence theory could be stated to explain consonances. Fundamental contributions in this direction were made by Giovanni Battista Benedetti, Galileo Galilei and Isaac Beeckman. The improved understanding of the nature of sound led to study in determining the frequency of vibration of a taut string, which is the prototype of the prince instrument of music, the monochord. Also of great interest were innovations of a mathematical nature, especially the development and use of logarithms in music. This made it possible to put the problem of temperament on a new footing. Already in the 16th century, musicians had dealt with this subject, although not always precisely. The forms of temperament used at that time were closely examined by the new mathematicians, who clarified many of the still unclear aspects.