Over the past few hundred years, Western Europeans gradually figured out an alternative system to harmonics-based tuning, called 12-tone equal temperament (12-TET for short). It’s the system that the entire Western world uses today. The idea behind 12-TET is to have everything be pretty much in tune, which you accomplish by having everything be a little bit out of tune. Is this a worthwhile compromise? Let’s do the math and find out. Some musicians don’t take their work seriously while others get themselves into big trouble by working too hard and taking on too much. Believing in your music and working hard is essential, but going into major debt over your music or spending month after month on the road away from home leaves you at risk of burning out, which can be hard to recover from.