back to list

That distant major sixth

🔗Yahya Abdal-Aziz <yahya@melbpc.org.au>

3/16/2006 12:16:39 AM
Attachments

Hi all,

The tables below represent some basic harmonic facts.
I'm sure there's nothing particularly new in this for
most of you. Still, every now and then I find it worth
my while to review basics.

I worked them out yesterday because I wanted to tune
up the Roland MIDI keyoard in JI. The only thing that
I found surprising was that (a good approximation to)
the major sixth doesn't appear in the harmonic series
until the 27th partial. However, something similar to
the tritones F# and Gb, and the minor sixths Ab and G#,
do appear much earlier in the overtone series.

Best viewed in a monospace font; dots added to align
the columns.

Regards,
Yahya
---------------------------------------------------------

.....Overtone......................Cents
Note..Integer....Cents.Semitone...adjust
C.1.........1.....0.00........0........0
C.2.........2..1200.00........0........0
G.2.........3..1901.96........7........2
C.3.........4..2400.00........0........0
E.3.........5..2786.31........4......-14
G.3.........6..3101.96........7........2
Bb.3-.......7..3368.83.......10......-31
C.4.........8..3600.00........0........0
D.4.........9..3803.91........2........4
E.4........10..3986.31........4......-14
F#.4-......11..4151.32........6......-49
G.4........12..4301.96........7........2
Ab.4+......13..4440.53........8.......41
Bb.4-......14..4568.83.......10......-31
B.4........15..4688.27.......11......-12
C.5........16..4800.00........0........0
Db.5.......17..4904.96........1........5
D.5........18..5003.91........2........4
Eb.5.......19..5097.51........3.......-2
E.5........20..5186.31........4......-14
F.5-.......21..5270.78........5......-29
F#.5-......22..5351.32........6......-49
Gb.5+......23..5428.27........6.......28
G.5........24..5501.96........7........2
G#.5-......25..5572.63........8......-27
Ab.5+......26..5640.53........8.......41
A.5........27..5705.87........9........6

Harmonic...Note...Semitone..Count
....1.......C........0........1
....3.......G........7........2
....5.......E........4........3
....7.......Bb-.....10........4
....9.......D........2........5
...11.......F#-......6........6
...13.......Ab+......8........7
...15.......B.......11........8
...17.......Db.......1........9
...19.......Eb.......3.......10
...21.......F........5.......11
...23.......Gb+......6.......12
...25.......G#-......8.......13
...27.......A........9.......14

+ or - indicates a change of between an eighth-tone
(25c) and a quarter-tone (50c) sharper or flatter
than the nominal.
---------------------------------------------------------

--
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.1.385 / Virus Database: 268.2.4/282 - Release Date: 15/3/06