A New Model of

Perception in
(Music) Acoustics:

he music perception of the harmonic series of a fundamental sound follows

the pathway of the equiangular spiral. From physics to music harmonic series
describes the dynamic of a composite tone made up by simple tones of
increasing frequencies corresponding to a linear approach where arithmetical
relations apply. The simple sounds called partials, harmonics or overtones are
integral multiples of the fundamental frequency according to their position on
the series (fig.1a). From philosophy and mathematics to music starting with
Pythagoras, Boethius and continuing with Zarlino the first harmonics of the
series were rather subject to a geometrical approach where models as circle,
curves or spiral were elicited. The aim of this paper is to continuing the former
approach using Descartes formula of the equiangular spiral placing the the
musical sound into the context of (bio)sciences where different manifestations
reveal forms following same patterns. Not only does musical sound follows the
equiangular (logarithmic) spiral pathway (fig.1b) but also galaxies, sea shells,
plants, and the paths of human hands gestures.

The Equiangular
Spiral Pathway

Fig.1a: An harmonic
series on C.

Licia Alina Novac

Stelios Charalambides

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

(stelios@maths.otago.ac.nz)

Department of Music

Department of Mathematics and Statistics

University of Otago, Dunedin,

University of Otago, Dunedin,

New Zealand

New Zealand
Fig.1b: A three
dimensional representation
of the corresponding
equiangular (logarithmic)
spiral pathway.

If you want to understand the invisible, look carefully at the visible.

The Talmud

Within the harmonic series all even partials play a quantitative role by multiplying
frequencies and act in a symmetrical way mean while all odd harmonics name
new sounds (fig.2, harmonics 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15) as described by physics (The
asymmetry creates the phenomenon, Pierre Curie, Sur la symetrie dans les
phenomenes phisiques, Journal de Physique (1894). The perfect 5th (harmonic
3)then is the missing point of the Ground Level floor and the turning point
of the next level (fig.4).
The major 3rd then (harmonic 5) becomes the missing point for the level below
and the turning point between harmonics 3 and 6, and the same process goes
on for all odd harmonics. This process follows the formula of Descartes

equiangular spiral:
r = 22
Harmonics develop fractal patterns (harmonics 1,2,3,5,7).

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Eb

Db

Eb

b
&

The harmonic series of a fundamental sound can be represented using a logarithmic spiral whose equation in polar coordinates is:

r = 22

Fig.4: Harmonic series on F which completes C major scale and also helps in understanding
the dynamics of different scales and modes revealed by both the F and C Harmonic Series.

An alternative form of this equation is:

r = ek
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: a = 1/2(m+n). As consequence, the perfect forth
resulting will represent the harmonic mean responding to the formula of
reciprocals: h = 2mn/(m+n) (Apel, 1976). And this complementarity print
is the Ancient Greece sense of "symmetry" art and sciences. The arithmetic
and the harmonic mean of two numbers were applied by Zarlino in establishing
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.
The second level with the fractal pattern of the dominant seventh chord and
the dynamics of the tonal harmony opens the door to the nowadays sense of
symmetry: the equal steps of the whole tone scale (harmonics 7-8-9-10-11-1314-16) (fig.4). The whole tone scale perception of the last level superpose over
the skeletal dominant chord of C fundamental (harmonics 9,12,15) explaining
the altered scale (everything altered /+/-9,+4,+5/ over a Dominant 7th
chord). And a blues scale on C would be the result of superposing C harmonic
series (harmonics 1,6,7,15,11,13,15,3) over an F one (harmonics 1,5,7, 3). The
list of such analysis may go on.

Mathematical Information
The harmonic series of a fundamental sound with the corresponding frequencies
is given below:

65.5 Hz 131

C D E

262

327.5

393

458.5

524

589

655

10 11 12 13 14 15 16

major
3rd

5th

flat
7th

5th

851.5

flat
6th

917

B C

major major sharp

2nd
3rd
4th

786

A B

196.5

fundamental
5th
octave

720.5

flat
7th

982.5

F
C

Fig.7: The equiangular

(logarithmic) spiral

G
B
A

The arc length between successive notes is constant and equal to:

1+k
k

, where:

k = ln2
2

The following diagram illustrates the above fact by using two different colors
to draw the spiral between consecutive notes:

F
C
Fig.8: Distance between
consecutive notes

G
B
A

C C G C E G

k = ln2
2

Here is a diagram of the above spiral:

E
The scientific aesthetics begun with Hanslick in the 19th century and continued
by Ghyka (1927, 1931, 1938, 1946, 1952) give rise to the same pythagorean
reverberations of universal harmony, proportions and patterns. Into the proximity
of the phenomenon to be studied further 20th century American and European
Music(ological) analysis.

, where:

Fig.5: The harmonic

series of C.

1048

7th

The following figure shows how to draw in Polar Coordinates:

The logarithmic spiral is indeed equiangular.

The angle between the tangent to the spiral at any point and the radius at that
point is constant:

()

= +180 = arctan 1 = 83.7047

k

Fig.2: Levels of the harmonic series.

This fractal is the the dominant seventh chord what would explain tonal harmony
eliciting the need of a harmonic series on F.

Fig.3: Fractals in nature, a fern.

Fig.6: Polar Coordinates

Fig.9: Relationship
between angles

Poster Design: Michael Crawford michael.crawford@stonebow.otago.ac.nz