this is coming from a western classical perspective. i have a basic education in music theory and aural skills but i don’t know why some intervals/chords sound so tense and are associated with bad emotions (sad, scared, etc) while some sound easy on the ears and are associated with good emotions (happiness, comfort, divinity).
In: 3
Very, very roughly speaking it seems to be how simple the ratio between the two competing frequencies is.
Octaves are 1:2 since they are essentially the same frequency multiplied by 2 or divided by 2 (again massive simplification). Being 1:1 (unison) is the most consonant “good” sound with octave being after that.
A perfect 5th is a 2:3 ratio , pretty simple but not as simple as 1:1 or 1:2.
A perfect 4th is 3:4, and so on and so on in decreasing consonance.
The tri-tone (most dissonant tone) is a 32:45 ratio.
I’m sorry I couldn’t be much simpler. It’s a surprisingly complex topic and depends on a lot of assumptions and complex mathematics.
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