> There are 12 frequencies of sound that are recognized by the human ear > as musical notes. Mathematically speaking, there is an infinite number of frequencies which are perceivable by our ear (20-20,000Hz by convention, plus their decimal subdivisions). However, not all of them are distinguishable by our ears. Still, I would say this number is pretty large, definitely much larger than just 12. > The limited use of other frequencies can produce rhythms to bind the > notes into musical compositions. Technology gives us the ability to > turn everything into a drum, but you still need those 12 frequencies > to produce melody. You can use any collection of frequencies to produce melody, rhythm, or timbre. The 12-note division is an arbitrary (alright, semi-arbitrary, to keep Paul happy ;-) collection of pitches whose tuning is arbitrarily assigned. > I am sure that someone smarter than I could precisely describe > mathematically what constitutes rhythm and melody. Not all sound is > music, but any sound can be incorporated into music. Actually, no sound is music unless consciously treated as such by a composer and perceiver, in which case any sound can be music. Best wishes, Ico _______________________________________________ Linux-audio-user mailing list Linux-audio-user@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx http://lists.linuxaudio.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/linux-audio-user
