As we journey through our destination-less days, we wonder about our existence, our purpose , our faith. We evaluate and criticize the world around us to find these answers. This sanatorium housing my views covers topics from urban legends and poetry to the nuances behind the varied everyday activities.
This drink feels like a concoction from the outer space. A drink with a pink natural color but which glows aqua marine in black-light - the two main colors of Aurora Borealis. And here's the recipe for the drink - courtesy TCC:
Have you ever wondered
why our musical scales have twelve notes and not ten or eight? Why
some notes sounds good or melodic together? Why most of us are able to identify
when a note is out of place in a song even though most of us musically illiterate?
Well folks, the answer lies in - Frequencies and ratios.
In Western music, the primary reference tone is
the pitch A - a frequency of 440 Hz. The next higher A in the musical scale is
at frequency 880 Hz or 440 X 2 Hz. the difference of 440 Hz makes the two A an
octave apart. Every octave is divided into twelve notes,
the frequencies of which are mentioned in the table below.
A
440
B flat
466
B
494
C
523
C sharp
554
D
587
D sharp
622
E
659
F
698
F sharp
740
G
784
A flat
831
A
880
Lets
consider the major triad - A, C# and E or the A chord.
Notice
that A is 440 Hz. Now 440 X 3 = 1320 and 1320 / 2 = 660 ~ frequency for E. I.E.
A and E are harmonically related - 440 X 3 is E one octave above the note
A - 440.
For
somewhat more arcane reasons, the interval between A and E, which is a
frequency rise of 3/2, is called a fifth. The note 3/2 above E has
frequency 988, which is an octave above B-494. Another 3/2 above that is
approximately F sharp (740 Hz). Continuing in this fashion, multiplying
frequencies by 3/2, and then possibly dividing by two, you can approximately
trace the twelve notes of the scale. This progression is called the circle
of fifths. The notion of key in music and a scale are
based on this circle of fifths.
How is
C# then part of the major triad?
440 × 5
≈ 554 × 4 or C# is 3 octaves above A - 440.
So A C#
and E are harmonically related. Hence when you play the notes A C# and E
together you find the resultant sound "musical".
In
short,the human ear hears frequencies and frequencies that are
harmonically related tend to sound good together - they are consonant rather
than dissonant. People prefer musical scales that have many consonant
intervals. And such scales contains frequencies which equal the
ratio of small integers ( 3/2 and 5/4 as in the case of major
triads ).
There
are seven basic consonant intervals in the musical world -
Basic Consonant
Intervals
2/1
octave
harmonic inverse of 1/1
3/2
perfect fifth
harmonic inverse of 4/3
4/3
perfect fourth
harmonic inverse of 3/2
5/3
major sixth
harmonic inverse of 6/5
5/4
major third
harmonic inverse of 8/5
6/5
minor third
harmonic inverse of 5/3
8/5
minor sixth
harmonic inverse of 5/4
But why
the number twelve in octave - not 20 or 10?
The
answer is - The twelve-tone equal-tempered scale is the smallest equal-tempered
scale that contains all seven of the basic consonant intervals
to a good approximation — within one percent.
This can bee seen below
for the note C
Number
of
Semitones
Interval
Name
Notes
Consonant?
Simple
ratio
Twelve
notes Scale
Difference
0
unison
C-C
Yes
1/1=1.000
20/12=1.000
0.0%
1
semitone
C-C#
No
16/15=1.067
21/12=1.059
0.7%
2
whole
tone
C-D
No
9/8=1.125
22/12=1.122
0.2%
3
minor
third
C-Eb
Yes
6/5=1.200
23/12=1.189
0.9%
4
major
third
C-E
Yes
5/4=1.250
24/12=1.260
0.8%
5
perfect
fourth
C-F
Yes
4/3=1.333
25/12=1.335
0.1%
6
tritone
C-F#
No
7/5=1.400
26/12=1.414
1.0%
7
perfect
fifth
C-G
Yes
3/2=1.500
27/12=1.498
0.1%
8
minor
sixth
C-Ab
Yes
8/5=1.600
28/12=1.587
0.8%
9
major
sixth
C-A
Yes
5/3=1.667
29/12=1.682
0.9%
10
minor
seventh
C-Bb
No
9/5=1.800
210/12=1.782
1.0%
11
major
seventh
C-B
No
15/8=1.875
211/12=1.888
0.7%
12
octave
C-C'
Yes
2/1=2.000
212/12=2.000
0.0%
My favorite melodic scale is B-minor. Here is a link for a B-minor arpeggio
played over the Piano.
For all those who always think twice before they act, who always doubt their actions, i believe these few lines from the most wise-men will motivate them- even if for a flicker of a moment. _______________________________________________ “Do what you feel in your heart to be right – for you’ll be criticized anyway.” ― Eleanor Roosevelt _______________________________________________ “Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.” ― Mark Twain
“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.” ― Robert Frost
“Whenever I feel the need to exercise, I lie down until it goes away.” ― Paul Terry
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ― H. Jackson Brown Jr.
“To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” ― Oscar Wilde
