I recently learned that the wavelength of a note is half that of the same note one octave lower. Do the wavelengths of the notes in a chord have some sort of similarities? Is there another reason that the notes sound good together?
In: 21
to raise a note by a semitone, you multiply its frequency (aka you divide its wavelength) by 2^(1/12), aka the twelfth root of 2, which is rougly 1.059
raising a note by an octave means raising it by 6 tones, or 12 semitones. Hence, it means you multiply it’s frequency by 2^(1/12), 12 times. In other words, you multiply it by 2^(1/12) to the 12, = 2^((1/12)*12) = 2
Not sure if that has to be called “a mathematical reason why the music notes sound good together”, but in short: two notes separated by a semitone, have a set ratio between their frequencies (that is, 2^(1/12) aka ~1.059)
In general, music notes follow a logarithmic scale. Am too tired to explain but look up what it is.
Latest Answers