Tenney norm: Difference between revisions

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{{Wikipedia| James Tenney }}
{{Wikipedia| James Tenney }}


If ''n''/''d'' is a positive rational number reduced to its lowest terms, then the [[Benedetti height]] is the integer ''nd''. Often it is more convenient instead to take the logarithm, usually base 2 ([[log2]]), of the [[Benedetti height]], leading to '''Tenney height'''. In either form it is widely used as a [[measure of inharmonicity]] and/or complexity for intervals. It is also known as ''log product complexity''.
If ''n''/''d'' is a positive rational number reduced to its lowest terms, then the [[Benedetti height]] is the integer ''nd''. Often it is more convenient instead to take the logarithm, usually base 2 ([[log2]]), of the [[Benedetti height]], leading to '''Tenney height'''. In either form it is widely used as a [[measure of inharmonicity]] and/or complexity for intervals.  
 
= Names =
 
In general mathematics, this measurement is known as ''log product complexity''.
 
With respect to microtonal tuning, this measurement was first described by [[James Tenney]], who himself called it ''harmonic distance''<ref>Original paper by Tenney: https://www.plainsound.org/pdfs/JC&ToH.pdf</ref><ref>https://zh.booksc.eu/book/68954431/f87a1d</ref><ref>https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/98644/brand_signal_2016.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y "Tenney's measure of harmonic distance (Hd) is thus singled out as perhaps his most 'crucial development', affording him the means towards 'compactness'. His is a Manhattan, rather than Euclidean metric, defined as Hd (a/b)=k log(ab), with a/ b the maximally
reduced ratio representing the frequency difference, and k=1 indicating measure in octaves."</ref> This terminology was also used in [[Paul Erlich]]'s paper [[A Middle Path]]<ref>Wherein Erlich writes: "This is why, in Tenney’s terminology, the taxicab distance an interval traverses in his lattice is the 'Harmonic Distance' of that interval."</ref>. 
 
= Computation =
 
== Ratio form ==


The Tenney height of a ratio ''n''/''d'' is given by
The Tenney height of a ratio ''n''/''d'' is given by


<math>\log_2 (nd)</math>
<math>\log_2 (nd)</math>
== Vector form ==


The Tenney height of a [[Harmonic limit|''p''-limit]] [[monzo]] b = {{monzo| ''b''<sub>1</sub> ''b''<sub>2</sub> … ''b''<sub>π (''p'')</sub> }} (π being the [[Wikipedia: prime-counting function|prime-counting function]]) is given by
The Tenney height of a [[Harmonic limit|''p''-limit]] [[monzo]] b = {{monzo| ''b''<sub>1</sub> ''b''<sub>2</sub> … ''b''<sub>π (''p'')</sub> }} (π being the [[Wikipedia: prime-counting function|prime-counting function]]) is given by
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<math>W = \operatorname {diag} (1/\log_2 (Q))</math>
<math>W = \operatorname {diag} (1/\log_2 (Q))</math>


== Examples ==
= Examples =
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Interval name
! Interval name

Revision as of 00:10, 6 March 2022

English Wikipedia has an article on:

If n/d is a positive rational number reduced to its lowest terms, then the Benedetti height is the integer nd. Often it is more convenient instead to take the logarithm, usually base 2 (log2), of the Benedetti height, leading to Tenney height. In either form it is widely used as a measure of inharmonicity and/or complexity for intervals.

Names

In general mathematics, this measurement is known as log product complexity.

With respect to microtonal tuning, this measurement was first described by James Tenney, who himself called it harmonic distance[1][2][3] This terminology was also used in Paul Erlich's paper A Middle Path[4].

Computation

Ratio form

The Tenney height of a ratio n/d is given by

[math]\displaystyle{ \log_2 (nd) }[/math]

Vector form

The Tenney height of a p-limit monzo b = [b1 b2bπ (p) (π being the prime-counting function) is given by

[math]\displaystyle{ \lVert W^{-1} \vec b \rVert_1 \\ = \vert b_1 \vert + \vert b_2 \vert \log_2 (3) + \ldots + \vert b_{\pi (p)} \vert \log_2 (p) \\ = \log_2 (2^{|b_1|} \cdot 3^{|b_2|} \cdot \ldots \cdot p^{|b_{\pi (p)}|}) }[/math]

where W is the Tenney weighter such that, for the prime basis Q = 2 3 5 … p],

[math]\displaystyle{ W = \operatorname {diag} (1/\log_2 (Q)) }[/math]

Examples

Interval name Ratio (n/d) Monzo Tenney height
Unison 1/1 [0 0
Octave 2/1 [1 1
Just perfect fifth 3/2 [-1 1 2.585
Just major third 5/4 [-2 0 1 4.322
Harmonic seventh 7/4 [-2 0 0 1 4.807
  1. Original paper by Tenney: https://www.plainsound.org/pdfs/JC&ToH.pdf
  2. https://zh.booksc.eu/book/68954431/f87a1d
  3. https://scholar.sun.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10019.1/98644/brand_signal_2016.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y "Tenney's measure of harmonic distance (Hd) is thus singled out as perhaps his most 'crucial development', affording him the means towards 'compactness'. His is a Manhattan, rather than Euclidean metric, defined as Hd (a/b)=k log(ab), with a/ b the maximally reduced ratio representing the frequency difference, and k=1 indicating measure in octaves."
  4. Wherein Erlich writes: "This is why, in Tenney’s terminology, the taxicab distance an interval traverses in his lattice is the 'Harmonic Distance' of that interval."