Music notes - Music notes are the building blocks of the songs we love. Music notes have long been thought of as divine, a gift from the creator to give humanity an outlets for creativity. When notes are arranged they form scales. There are several different types of scales but the one we are most familiar with is the diatonic scale meaning it has seven notes ranging from highest to low, C-D-E-F-G-A-B. With electronically advancement new scales like the chromatic (12) scale are being used to make music. Notes have been analyzed by man for centuries to tap into the Music notes mathematical properties. Compositions have been writ using the golden ratio (1.6180339887) and the Fibonacci numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 55…)
a recurring sequence of numbers found in complex algebra. One can even break down a note’s tone mathematically as the Michigan technological university - department of physics has done.
fn = f0 * (a)n
where
f0 = the frequency of one fixed note which must be defined. A common choice is setting the A above middle C (A4) at f0 = 440 Hz.
n = the number of half steps away from the fixed note you are. If you are at a higher note, n is positive. If you are on a lower note, n is negative.
fn = the frequency of the note n half steps away.
a = (2)1/12 = the twelfth root of 2 = the number which when multiplied by itself 12 times equals 2 = 1.059463094359…
The wavelength of the sound for the notes is found from
Wn = c/fn
where W is the wavelength and c is the speed of sound. The speed of sound depends on temperature, but is approximately 345 m/s at “room temperature.”
Music Notes have been a source of fascination for many generations, they are more than something that is pleasing to listen to, but rather they are their own language. Once one masters the language of notes, one can speak to the world through music.
