Chuckk Hubbard wrote:
I agree. If there are harmonics common to almost all music, it's more
like 3 or 4 of them than 12.
I strongly believe that the overtone series is the basis of all harmony.
In there you'll find the octave, fifth, major/minor thirds and seconds
(actually only our octave and fifth are the only equal tempered
intervals that are tuned as in the overtone series). The overtone series
is not neseccarily the only "good" relationship between intervals, but
it the one build into everything we and our forefathers surround(ed)
ourselves with. An early man hitting a hollow piece of wood 40,000 years
ago would hear the overtone series. Same with Josquin de Prez hearing a
single voice singing a single note. Same with Cage. It's the common
harmonic reference from which no hearing person cannot escape (although
we can try, and make interesting music exploring along the way).
However the equal temperament is just one approximation of the intervals
found in the overtone series, one that for obvious reasons was so
practical that it has enjoyed wide spread use. Different cultures (for
reasons I will make no attempt to understand) made different
approximations of the overtone series and/or made use of it's intervalic
relationships in different ways, which brought us Bach, Miles, the Ragas
of Indian music and then some more.
--
peace, love & harmony
Atte
http://www.atte.dk | quintet: http://www.anagrammer.dk
| compositions: http://www.atte.dk/compositions
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