Music & Sound

5 breaks

Vibrations, harmony and why some sounds feel right.

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Why you hear a note that isn't there: the missing fundamental Play only 220, 330 and 440 hertz and most people hear a note at 110 hertz — a frequency that is not in the sound at all. This is the missing fundamental: the… Music & Sound5 min read Why a tone can climb forever without getting higher: the Shepard illusion Play a tone that climbs and climbs, forever, and never gets any higher. It sounds impossible, but it only takes a few sine waves and one volume curve. A… Music & Sound3 min read Why you hear bass from a speaker too small to make it: the missing fundamental Your phone speaker is far too small to produce a deep bass note, yet you still hear the bass. The trick is that pitch is not a frequency in the air. It is a… Music & Sound3 min read Why guitar frets get closer together as you go up the neck Guitar frets crowd together toward the body because of one fact about hearing: we hear pitch by ratio, not by difference. Each fret has to raise the note by… Music & Sound5 min read Why some notes sound sweet together and others seem to fight Play C and E together and they sound sweet. Play C and C sharp and they buzz. The notes aren't the problem: the clash only happens when they meet. Every… Music & Sound5 min read