The Minor Third

Here’s an interesting and perhaps misunderstood note. It’s a compound move on the lattice: down a third and up a fifth. Or up a fifth and down a third, it doesn’t matter what order. So the ratio is 3/5, or 6/5, octave reduced. The note is the minor third. I call it b3. It lives a…

Reciprocal Thirds

There are four basic moves available on the lattice of fifths and thirds. They are: Up a fifth (x3) Down a fifth (÷3) Up a major third (x5) Down a major third (÷5) Each of these moves has its own harmonic flavor, and they can be combined to create new flavors. The major scale only…

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Mixed Messages

The harmonic lattice can be divided into four quadrants. Northeast is pure overtonal energy. All these notes are reached by multiplication alone. Powers of 3 and 5 are in the numerators, and the denominators are all powers of 2. Southwest is pure reciprocal energy. You get there by dividing. All the 3’s and 5’s are…