This doesn’t make any sense to me, these are just sounds, they don’t sound neither happy nor sad to me (when I try playing them on piano). But I’m new to music so I don’t know… Is there an explanation that actually makes sense?
In: Other
Pretty much anything musical at some point finds its source in the harmonic series. Partials 4,5, and 6 form a major triad. Indeed, it is the reason why one can’t simply “lower the third of the chord.” Doing so is how you change an equal temperament triad into just intonation. However, if you are playing a just intonation instrument (say… a horn [cf. username]) then partials 4,5, and 6 are exactly where they need to be.
So there we have, built into nature itself, a pure major triad. In his theoretical text Paul Hindemith offered an explanation as to the affect of minor triads. Since there is no minor triad built into the harmonic series, it is possible that one hears minor as a sonority that always wants to resolve to major. This would be supported by the Picardy Third. One feels stress for as long as the tonic harmony is minor, because one wants to hear major, being built into nature. In other words, minor is unnatural. It’s up to you, gentle reader, if you buy into that. I’m a Hindemith scholar and I’m doubtful that I do.
Latest Answers