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> 12 notes in a scale? Their particular frequencies? That whole multiplying and dividing business? Why the letters are in the wrong order. Why have sharps and f
by OscarCunningham 5y ago
> 12 notes in a scale? Their particular frequencies? That whole multiplying and dividing business? Why the letters are in the wrong order. Why have sharps and flats instead of just more letters?
The number of notes and the ratios between their frequencies are fundamental. The rest are historical accidents.
A good place to start is David Benson's 'Music: a Mathematical Offering'. Available free online here: https://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/d.j.benson/pages/html/maths-music.html https://homepages.abdn.ac.uk/d.j.benson/pages/html/maths-mus....
- 52-6F-62 5y agoThis is a pointer to a more intuitive understanding. Playing music, and especially improvising, is more much hung on the intervals—those ratios—rather than concerns about fixed notes. Give or take, emotional colouring of tones and harmonics is another.
- goto11 5y agoThe number of notes is also historical tradition, e.g. pentatonic vs heptatonic.
- OscarCunningham 5y agoSure, but it's based on something real (2^17 ~ 3^12) rather than being a pure historical accident.