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A New Model of Perception in (Music) Acoustics: The Equiangular Spiral

Pathway From Physics Acoustics to Music Acoustics

Data · January 2003

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 A New Model of Perception in (Music) Acoustics: The Equiangular Spiral Pathway

Alina Novac (alina.novac@stonebow.otago.ac.nz)

Department of Music
University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

Stelios Charalambides (stelios@maths.otago.ac.nz)

Department of Mathematics and Statistics
University of Otago, PO Box 56, Dunedin, New Zealand

Abstract I.1. Odd and Even Harmonics.

A “fundamental sound” is the composite tone generated by
Argument: The harmonic series of a fundamental sound (fig.
regular vibrations of an elastic body, which is the basis of
1) follows the pathway of the equiangular spiral (fig. 2).
the harmonic series (fig.1: C[1]). Furthermore we can see
that the frequency of a partial is a multiple of the frequency
From Physics Acoustics to Music Acoustics of the fundamental according to its position on the series
In (physics) acoustics the harmonic series of a fundamental (e.g: Ab (13) pitch will have 13 x C (1) frequency).
sound analysis is made only from the perspective of a linear
approach1 only and the same approach carries over to the
Theory of Music2.
In Physics Fourier analysis brings representations
of different sinusoidal wave sum models, which may not
necessarily be linear. This however does not convey the
inherent properties of the harmonics series which is the
point the we will try illustrate by making use of the
logarithmic spiral. (When Descartes discovered the spiral in
the 17th century, music was leaving "the Quadrivium", the
arena of sciences (Coelho, 1969)) until the recovery with
the scientific aesthetics started in the middle of the 19th Figure 1: The harmonic series of a fundamental sound
century with Hanslick and continued into the next
century with Ghyka. The fundamental is represented by the first odd number
and all the other odd numbers will also introduce new
qualities of harmonics: (E.g: 3(G), 5(E), 7(Bb), etc). Even
1
Fourier analysis does not refer to the relation between numbers will reflect only new quantities because all the
harmonics but to the “representation of sound’s frequencies even harmonics double in frequency the previous pitches
as sum of pure sinusoidal waves” they name (E.g.: each "C" doubles the "C" before it
http://www.sfu.ca/sca/Manuals/ZAAPf/f/fft.html (harmonics 16, 8, 4 and 2), each "G" doubles the "G" before
2
Pythagoras explained the perfect intervals as consonances it (harmonics 12 and 6), E(10) harmonic doubles E (5), and
resulting from the perfect mathematical relations of the first the Bb 14 harmonic doubles Bb 7.
triangular numbers 1,2,3 and 4 (“perfect“ these proportions
in the sense that they will not change with any reference
point, e.g. fig.1: following the harmonic (pitch/frequency)
series for the other intervals the proportions will be multiple
instead (imperfect): 5/4 and 9/7 and 11/9 for the major third;
6/5 and 7/6 for the minor third, etc)
Continuing the Pythagorean tradition (where the perfect
intervals were the expression of the universal harmony in
terms of proportions _ lengths: 1/2 for the perfect octave,
2/3 for the perfect fifth and 3/4 for the perfect forth and
1/length = pitch_ together with philosophical &
mathematical models (“circle of fifths”, Apel, 1976), in the
same tradition Boethius and Zarlino explained further
intervals (Apel, 1976) relating to those to same arithmetical,
and geometrical models (Boethius: the major/minor third as
arithmetic/harmonic mean of the octave; Zarlino the Figure 2: The equiangular (logarithmic) spiral
major/minor chord)
I.2. Fractal Models
By their functionality as "leading notes" the C - G - E -
Bb harmonics will "start the musical discourse" assuring the
connection of "C" harmonic series with the "F" range -
where "C" will be the Dominant 7th chord of "F" or "F" the
Subdominant of "C" (in other words, we find here the
"plagal cadence". At the same time the G, D and B natural
harmonics (3, 9 and 15) describe the Dominant chord of
"C", the connection toward - or back from - the dominant.
The emotional strength of harmonic 15 ("leading note" B
natural, major third of G) familiarize us with the "authentic
cadence".
Each harmonic series will follow this pattern (Fundamental
- Dominant - Major third - minor seventh / when possible ),
and they are similar to "fractals" of living systems (fig .3)
Figure 3: Fractals in nature: A Fern
The Birth of The Equiangular Spiral
II. 1. The Turning Point
The "turning point" of the perfect fifth or "The 'assymetry'
creates the phenomenon" (Pierre Curie, Sur la symetrie dans
les phenomenes phisiques, Journal de Physique (1894).
The "missing point" of the perfect fifth and the birth of
the equiangular spiral path.
C[1, 2, 4, 8 and 16] will divide the harmonic series in 4
levels: Ground level, Level 1, 2 and 3.
Figure 4: Levels of the harmonic series
At the Ground Level there is no other harmonic except
the replication of the fundamental to the prfect octave above
there for any other interval of next levels cannot be
"naturally born" here but "build" only (it is not the place
here to discuss how the proeminence of a certain harmonic
influences the timber quality of sound). This is the first
specific distinction between Music Acoustics and Physics
Acoustics and the birth of the equiangular spiral model (see
Mathematics background).
Each of the above levels will develop within the limits of
"C" (harmonics 2, 4, 8 and 16)
II. 2. The "Arithmetic" and "Harmonic" Intervals
(chords perfect fifth and the "complemmentary"
perfect fourth)
In Level 1 of the harmonic series the perfect fifth becomes
evident at the point where the proportion is 3:2 as pitch
frequency (2/3 for string length). This phenomenon will
repeat at each level above. Boethius called this interval the
"arithmetic mean" of the octave - since it corresponds to the
formula of arithmetical numbers:
( m + n)
a= .
2
As consequence, the perfect forth resulting will represent
the "harmonic mean" responding to the formula of
reciprocals:
1 1 1 1 2mn
- = - fi h = (Apel, 1976).
m h h n m+n
This "complemmentary" print was the sense of
"symmetry" of the Ancient Greece science and philosophy.
The arithmetic and the harmonic mean of two numbers
were applied by Zarlino in establising the major and minor
chords. He also maintained the use of curve (circle)
diagrams to explain the intervals and their relations - those
models are more philosophical than mathematical
approaches (Zarlino, 1558) and they actually apply to the
hexachord theory.
It also seems that together with the presence of the
"assymetry point" of the perfect fifth (acting as the "golden
section" of geometry) starts the second significant
distinction between Music Acoustics and Physics
Acoustics: the same proportion (E.g. 6:4 or 12:8) that
reflects the same reality from an arithmetical perspective,
will be different in Music. E.g: : a perfect fifth will be a
different version of the same interval in different register
or timber circumstances (which could raise the question of
transposition practice suitability).
At the Level 2 it seems that the harmonic series describes
the tonal harmony and refers to the creation within
the Classicism period and that the romanticism opens the
third level (fig. 4). Nevertheless, the principles remain the
same. The scientific aesthetics begun with Hanslick in the
19th century and continued by Ghyka (Ghyka, 1927, 1931,
1938, 1946, 1952) give rise to the same pythagorean
reverberations of universal harmony, proportions and
patterns (same roots in the harmonic series of schenkerian
analysis; connotations of "positive" and "negative " zone of
the Dominant/Subdominant together with "Golden Section"
and "Fibonacci series" references for Bartok's fugue of
Music for Strings, Perecussion and celesta (Lendvai, 1971)
Figure 5: The equiangular spiral
II. 3. The last level of the harmonic series
We have defined the ground level - a matter of genesis for
both the harmonic series and the growing spiral model; we
defined the first level - the asymetry creating the
phenomenon in a way similar to the "golden mean". The
second level it is by definition one of the tonal harmony. At
the same time, starting with the 7th harmonic we will be led
to the last image of the equiangular spiral: the actual
symmetry (equal steps): the whole tone scale: harmonics 7
– 8 – 9 – 10 – 11 – 13 – 14 – 16 where in the background
are reverberating still in shadow, the last traces of the G
Dominant (harmonics 12 with it's major third).
The consequences of the perception of a whole tone scale
over the skeletal dominant will be on musical analysis: the
"altereted" scale can be presented as "everything altered"
(+/-9, +4, +5) over a Dominant 7th chord; besides the "blue
notes" (harmonics 7 and 13) harmonic 11(+4). And the list
may go on...
Figure 6: A Vortex
With the perception of harmonic series we simply come
to the conclusion that various interpretations are equally
valid - there are patterns at each level, the perspective can
vary. As for the mathematical model of the harmonic series
the logarithmic spiral just proves that the musical sound is
similar to other living systems "dissipative format" patterns
(Capra, 1996) waves, galaxies, sea shells or human gestures
(see fig. 6 "A Vortex"):.
Mathematical Information
The harmonic series of a fundamental sound can be
represented using a logarithmic spiral whose equation in
polar coordinates is:
q
r = 2 2p
Here r is the distance of a point from the center, and q is
the angle measured counterclockwise starting from the
position where positive x-axis lies in Cartesian coordinates.
(fig. 7)
Figure 7: Polar Coordinates
An alternative form of this equation is:
ln 2
r = e kq , where k =
2p
The harmonic series of a fundamental sound with the
corresponding frequencies is given below. Note that the
frequencies of the harmonics are integer multiples of the
fundamental frequency (65.5 Hz). We will use the integers 1
to 16 to represent the notes rather than the actual
frequencies. This way we can extend our argument to any
other note taken as the fundamental sound (see fig 1).
Here is a diagram of the above spiral:
Figure 8: The equiangular (logarithmic) spiral
 The harmonic series of the fundamental sound lies on the To prove that the logarithmic spiral is indeed equiangular
spiral with each group of overtones of the same note we need to show that the angle between the tangent to the
appearing along a dashed line. The notes within an octave spiral at any point and the radius at that point is constant.
are denoted by dots of the same size with lower frequency Let y be the slope of the tangent to the spiral r = e kq at
notes being represented by larger sized dots. the point (r ,q ) and f be the angle between the tangent and
Also note that the distance of a note from the origin is
proportional to its frequency. For example the “C” notes are the radius r . Then as can be seen from figure 10 we have:
at distances 1, 2, 4, 8, 16 from the origin along the 0-axis.
f = y + 180 - q .
It is also interesting to note that the arc length between
successive notes is constant and equal to:
1+ k 2 ln 2
, Where: k =
k 2p
Figure 9 below, illustrates this by alternating between
solid and dashed lines when going from one note to the
next.

Figure 10: Relationship between angles

Therefore taking the tangent of both sides and using the

tangent of the sum of two angles formula we get:
tany + tan(180 - q ) tany - tan q
tan f = =
1 - tany tan(180 - q ) 1 + tany tan q
But the slope of the tangent can be found by taking the
Figure 9: Distance between consecutive notes derivative of the spiral in parametric form as follows:
dy
To prove this we first take the derivative with respect to ke kq sin q + e kq cosq k tan q + 1
tany = dq = kq =
q of the equation in the form r = e kq , and the substitute the dx ke cosq - e kq sin q k - tan q
result in the formula for calculating the arc length in polar dq
coordinates. Substituting this in the previous equation and simplifying a bit
dr 1 dr we get:
r = e kq fi = ke kq = kr fi =k k tan q + 1
dq r dq - tan q
k tan q + 1 - k tan q + tan 2 q
The arc length between two consecutive notes (which are tan f = k - tan q =
at angles q i , q i +1 ) is given by: k tan q + 1 k - tan q + k tan 2 q + tan q
1+ tan q
q i +1 2 q i +1 k - tan q
Ê 1 dr ˆ 1 + tan 2 q
l = Ú r 1+ Á ˜ dq = Úr 1 + k 2 dq 1 Ê1ˆ
Ë r dq ¯ = 2
= fi f = arctanÁ ˜ = 83.7047 o
qi qi k + k tan q k Ëk¯
q i +1 But as k is a constant we have f is also a constant . In fact it is
1 + k 2 kq
= 1+ k2 Ú e kq dq =
k
e [ ] q i +1
qi
quite close to a right angle (90 degrees).
qi
In closing we note that there are many approaches to
representing the harmonic series of the fundamental sound, all of
1 + k 2 kq i +1 1+ k2 which are valid. We believe that the equiangular (logarithmic)
=
k
e ( - e kq i )= k
(ri +1 - ri ) spiral model adds an interesting perspective to the existing views
that seems to occur in many other places in nature as well.
1+ k2 More diagrams including three-dimensional ones can be found
= since ri +1 - ri = 1 for all i.
k at the following website: www.aframedia.com.
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