Prime and Fibonacci Numbers in Music

https://github.com/Polydynamical/fibprimes/blob/mp3/26212.mp3

by cbracketdash • 5 years ago

43 13 5 years ago

github.com

cbracketdash2• 5 years ago

I also posted the source code on Github: https://github.com/Polydynamical/fibprimes

motohagiography• 5 years ago

" In other words, the Fibonacci numbers mod 7 are cyclic after 16 numbers and that cycle is used for the bottom notes."

To my naive view, that's really interesting. Whereas duodecimal number systems fell out of cultural fashion around the world, we have settled on one in the chromatic scale of western music and the way we often develop an intuition for the proportions and symmetries in music is using a mod/base-12 system. I have no real insight to add other than to just appreciate the coincidence that the periodicity of this cycle sounds nice. The idea that music can be discovered is just appealing.

dehrmann• 5 years ago

The magic of having 12 equally spaced notes in the chromatic scale is that specific important intervals are closely approximated by ratios of small integers, and you can transpose a piece to any key (this doesn't work if you tune to exact ratios). Small, integer ratios supposedly mean the frequencies will sound similar or related because the peaks and troughs sync up every 2-5 cycles.

I say supposedly because studies have found remote tribes, played the, the same note, but in different octaves, and asked if they're the same of different. A lot of people couldn't associate that they're the same, which would imply these ratios aren't actually important. I have serious doubts about these studies, though; from a signal processing perspective, 440 Hz and 880 Hz are related at a physical level, so it's surprising that recognizing this similarity isn't almost innate.

Mediterraneo10• 5 years ago

This has been done many times before. Composers who explicitly based their rhythms on the Fibonacci sequence include Per Nørgård and Sofia Gubaidulina. (While Bartók is sometimes said to have done so, evidence is lacking.) Brian Ferneyhough makes use of prime numbers in one scene from his opera Shadowtime.

In the popular-music world, BT wrote a Fibonacci-sequence tune that was a club hit in 1999.

Grazester• 5 years ago

I came here to drop BT's name. Also see his song 1.618 based on the Golden ratio

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybgsUo5kcyM

cbracketdash2• 5 years ago

I would say the main part of the audio file is the seeming regularity of the prime numbers. I just added the Fibonacci numbers to have a "leading" base line.

IAmGraydon• 5 years ago

Reminds me of the harmonic progression in “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai.

weatherlight• 5 years ago

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateralus_(song)

E_Alman• 5 years ago

The song Lateralus by the band Tool, is all based on the Fibonacci sequence, and it's a masterpiece. Here goes the link if someone is curious: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7JG63IuaWs

Enjoy :)

capnorange• 5 years ago

konnakol https://youtu.be/ZAVZtCZV9aI

hammock• 5 years ago

Cantus for Benjamin Britton is based on a simpler linear sequence. And beautiful

beej71• 5 years ago

Minecraftian.

Prime and Fibonacci Numbers in Music

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