Music & Sound
14 breaks
Vibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right.
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Why two almost-in-tune notes throb, and how tuners use the wobble
Play two notes that are almost in tune and you hear one note that swells and fades: wah-wah-wah. Neither string is wobbling. The throb, called a beat, appears…
Why a piano has 12 notes: the circle of fifths that never quite closes
Stack pure 3:2 fifths, the most consonant interval after the octave, and you'd expect to eventually land back on your starting note. You never do. After twelve…