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Not really. Western music is driven by harmonic progression, which is largely absent in most other cultures. The lack of "chord changes" is why its so easy to d
by _red 7y ago
Not really. Western music is driven by harmonic progression, which is largely absent in most other cultures. The lack of "chord changes" is why its so easy to discern western vs eastern music.
- ic147 7y agoI think the word "tonality" is used liberally in this article. They didn't seem to be referencing any specific style of harmony, but rather the general act of using distinct tones to create music.
- anigbrowl 7y agoEqual temperament is a relatively recent (hundreds of years) development in Western civilization and arguably originated in China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament#History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal_temperament#History Harmonic progression is a staple of Western classical and pop styles, but most folk music is diatonic (confined to a single scale), not least because of the limitations of wind instruments. Diatonic music and harmony has seen a major resurgence with the advent of electronic dance music, which subordinates harmonic progression to rhythmic and timbral development so as to stay 'in the groove' by maintaining a particular musical mood.
- dr_dshiv 7y agoMy reading of the Wikipedia is that equal temperament didn't originate in China (though it may have slightly predated the occurrance in the west). Rather, it was a synchronicity -- it occurred at the same time in the west (1584 and 1585), like Leibniz and Newton coinventing calculus independently or Darwin and Wallace inventing survival of the fittest.