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music and math


Pythagoras began subdividing different intervals and pitches into distinct notes. Mathematically he divided intervals into wholes, thirds, and halves. Four distinct musical ratios were discovered: the tone; its fourth; its fifth; and its octave. (Johnston, 1989). From these ratios the Pythagorean scale was introduced. This scale soon revolutionized music. Pythagorean relationships of ratios held true for any initial pitch. This discovery, in turn, reformed musical education. With the standardization of music, musical creativity could be recorded, taught, and reproduced. (Rowell, 1983). Modern day finger exercises, such as the Hanons, are neither based on melody or creativity. They are simply based on the Pythagorean scale, and are executed from various initial pitches. Creating a foundation for musical representation, works became recordable. From the Pythagorean scale and simple mathematical calculations, different scales or modes were developed. The Dorian, Lydian, Locrian, and Ecclesiastical modes were all developed from the foundation of Pythagoras. (Johnston, 1989). The basic foundations of musical education are based on the various modes of scalar relationships. (Ferrara, 1991). Pythagoras" discoveries created a starting point for structured music. From this, diverse educational schemes were created upon basic themes. Pythagoras and his mathematics created the foundation for musical education as it is now known. According to Rowell, Pythagoras began his experiments demonstrating the tones of bells of different sizes. Bells of variant size produce different harmonic ratios. (Ferrara, 1991). Analyzing the different ratios, Pythagoras began defining different musical pitches based on bell diameter and density. Based on Pythagorean harmonic relationships and Pythagorean geometry, bell-makers began constructing bells with the principal pitch prime tone, and hum tones consisting of a fourth, a fifth, and the octave.


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