Why do some chords sound pleasant while others feel jarring? The answer may lie not just in culture, but in physics. A compelling model demonstrates how musical harmony arises from the physical interaction of overtones—the higher frequencies within a note. This approach creates a “dissonance map” that predicts which note combinations will be consonant, explaining the structure of Western music and the unique scales found in cultures worldwide.
The Physics That Defines Musical Harmony
The familiar harmony of a major chord isn’t a cultural accident, but a direct result of the laws of physics that govern how the invisible overtones within a sound wave interact.
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