User:Grady/Harmonic similarity: Difference between revisions

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The theory of harmonic similarity provides credence to the idea that various intervals with the same interval quality specifier (e.g. major, minor, perfect, neutral, etc.) should actually sound similar in emotional character, since those interval classes are near each other on an interval-based circle or chain of fifths. In other words, just as the notes C4 and G4 sound related to each other since C4 relates to G5 by a tritave, and G5 relates to G4 by an octave, a [[5/4|major third]] and [[15/8|major seventh]] should be expected to sound similar in character to each other since the major third relates to the [[15/4|major fourteenth]] by a tritave, and the major fourteenth relates to the major seventh by an octave.

Something to note about this is that the interval quality terms in wide use are arbitrary categorical boundaries. For instance, this theory posits that out of all the interval classes labeled as major, the major second is the one that's closest to a "perfect" interval quality, while out of all the ones labeled as minor, the minor seventh is the closest in that regard.

Revision as of 10:59, 4 August 2025 view source Grady (talk \| contribs) 55 edits m →Neutrality of the major second: Renamed this section to avoid confusion with "neutral" interval quality Tag: Visual edit ← Older edit		Revision as of 11:03, 4 August 2025 view source Grady (talk \| contribs) 55 edits →Interval quality: Added more info Tag: Visual edit Newer edit →
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	The theory of harmonic similarity provides credence to the idea that various intervals with the same interval quality specifier (e.g. major, minor, perfect, neutral, etc.) should actually sound similar in emotional character, since those interval classes are near each other on an interval-based circle or chain of fifths. In other words, just as the notes C4 and G4 sound related to each other since C4 relates to G5 by a tritave, and G5 relates to G4 by an octave, a [[5/4\|major third]] and [[15/8\|major seventh]] should be expected to sound similar in character to each other since the major third relates to the [[15/4\|major fourteenth]] by a tritave, and the major fourteenth relates to the major seventh by an octave.		The theory of harmonic similarity provides credence to the idea that various intervals with the same interval quality specifier (e.g. major, minor, perfect, neutral, etc.) should actually sound similar in emotional character, since those interval classes are near each other on an interval-based circle or chain of fifths. In other words, just as the notes C4 and G4 sound related to each other since C4 relates to G5 by a tritave, and G5 relates to G4 by an octave, a [[5/4\|major third]] and [[15/8\|major seventh]] should be expected to sound similar in character to each other since the major third relates to the [[15/4\|major fourteenth]] by a tritave, and the major fourteenth relates to the major seventh by an octave.

			Something to note about this is that the interval quality terms in wide use are arbitrary categorical boundaries. For instance, this theory posits that out of all the interval classes labeled as major, the major second is the one that's closest to a "perfect" interval quality, while out of all the ones labeled as minor, the minor seventh is the closest in that regard.