High Thirds

Or the 'high five' (high five-four, <cough>)

<tee hee>

On a more serious note about Pythagoras. The 81/64 third is obviously
further 'up the series' than 5/4 but in some ways it's closer than at first
thought possible, via the pentatonic scale:

The corresponding minor third: small by one comma:

6/5 * 80/81 = 2/1 * 16/27 = 32/27 (ol 294cents). This sounds quite
interesting in a pentatonic. (Try the classic oscillating minor third, like
a child's 'see saw dickory daw', 'I'm the king of the castle', or many
other playground chants. (The minor third is the first interval a child can
recognise and sing). The 294cent third is quite tense. See Bartok articles
on folk music for discussion of this property. (Oh and Lendvai - whose
theories I am sure are not a function of the twelve-tone scale, but rather
the mean-tone one).

>You know, it almost seems as though this phenomenon should be called
>the "high triad" rather than the "high third" since, apparently, it
>only occurs in the context of a full triad. I think I might remember
>this better that way.... ??
>(And yes, your explanation was, as usual, *very* helpful!)