Spirals of Harmony - Comments

Sorry for the delay in catching up with this query! This is very interesting and accurate work.
Well done to Ian for this exploration and clear presentation. It’s good to stand back to get a
clearer picture of the processes here. I would appreciate if someone could please pass
these comments onto Ian / Nomi page.

Frequency scales in general and sound frequencies in particular expand by multiplication,

rather than addition. They are exponential in nature, rather than linear. Spirals carry this
exponential behaviour, as well as the cyclic nature of frequencies. This is why they describe
the behaviour here so well. The Krystal Spiral (KS), with its fundamental expansion by 2
every quadrant, is particularly well suited to carrying the structure of sound. That is why the
12 notes in an octave cycle can be mapped out at uniform angles on the KS. This is
completely accurate.

An octave represents a complete cycle of sound frequencies. So we get a clearer picture by

mapping the octave cycle with its 12 frequencies over a full 360° cycle, rather than the
normal 90° of the KS. It’s much easier to see relationships and to follow what’s going on.

This gives us a
new spiral,
derived from the
KS, an Octave
Spiral (OS). The
spiral behaviour
and
correspondence
with sound
frequencies is
preserved. We
get the exact
same answers as
with the KS.
However, the
notes are now
mapped out along
12 clock lines,
which is
something we’re
very familiar and
can interpret
more easily.

This OS is
illustrated in the

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attached diagram. Octave cycles are illustrated by different colours but are continuous with
the spiral. The different notes or tones are illustrated by the clock lines or rays,

Why is number structure important in harmony? When we use an instrument, e.g. a guitar,
trumpet or whatever, to generate a sound we get a fundamental frequency, depending on
the specific characteristics of the instrument. But we also get a family of harmonics. These
are whole number multiples of the fundamental frequency (f). For example, we also get f x
2, f x 3, f x 4, and so on. The strongest harmonic is x 2, next strongest x 3, and they get
progressively weaker with higher multiples. This family of frequencies makes up the
particular note. The fundamental frequency is key and the harmonics add richness, colour
or timbre. When we play the same note or frequency on different instruments, e.g. a violin
or piano, we get noticeably different sounds. This is down to the harmonics. There will be
differing amounts of harmonics, giving different colouring, but at whole number multiples of
the fundamental frequency.

When two notes, with one double the frequency of the other, are played together their
strong harmonics (x 2, x 4, …) will all line up exactly and complement each other. This gives
strong harmony. That is why the x 2 scaling of frequency is so significant in harmony. This
doubling of frequency defines the octave structure. Within the OS the notes on any clock
line will all be in x 2 relation with each other. After same frequency (unison), frequency
doubling (2:1) provides the highest degree of harmony. So all the notes on the same clock
line are regarded as being highly harmonic or co-harmonic with each other. They belong to
the same frequency or pitch class.

The next strongest harmonic alignment is for scaling x 3. Here the x 3, x 6, x 9, … harmonics
align exactly between the notes. Here we’re beginning to see why simple numerical and
fractional ratios between frequencies are so significant in harmony. This was something
that was appreciated by the Pythagoreans, when they experimented with sound and
formulated their music scales.

Frequency trebling (3:1) brings a whole new level of structure to the octave arrangement.
Doubling (2:1) simply moves frequencies out along a clock line. Trebling moves out along
the spiral, but it also rotates to a new angular position on the spiral. It does a complete
cycle around the spiral and then goes a further 7 /12 of a cycle. So, for example, a note on
the 12 o’clock line would end up on the 7 o’clock line, a cycle further out. We can divide the
3 by 2 to bring it back into the current octave on the same 7 line with minimal impact on
harmony. This is where the 3:2 ratio comes into play.

It’s ‘magical’ that frequency trebling rotates notes by 7/12 of an octave cycle, to a high
degree of accuracy. The multiple for 7/12 of a cycle is (2^(7/12), where ^ means to the
power of) = 1.4983… This differs from the harmonic ratio of 3:2 = 1.5, by only 0.1%.
Inverting this ratio (2^(-7/12)) = 0.6674199…, gives us one of Ian’s Trine ratios. Bringing in 3
then gives us a 7-step rotation on a 12 position OS clock.

If we repeat this application of x 3 from the 7 line, we move a further 7 steps, to the 2
o’clock position. Do it again and we end up at the 9 o’clock position. Repeat and we end up
progressively at the 4, 11, 6, 1, 8, 3, 10, 5 positions. We then come back to the original 12

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o’clock position, to complete the cycle. In other words, this process divides the octave cycle
neatly into 12 natural divisions, like a clock. This is where the 12-fold division of octaves
comes from. It arises naturally in the process, rather than being something imposed
artificially. The 7-step rotation is significant. If it were 6 steps, for example, the progression
would only oscillate between 12 & 6. The rotation amount needs to not be a factor of 12, to
cause the progressive rotation.

After the octave (2:1) ratio or interval between notes, the 3:2 interval is the next most
harmonic and significant. This is referred to as the ‘Perfect Fifth’ interval. The progressive
application of this interval, to move around the 12 note positions in an octave cycle, is
referred to as the ‘Circle of Fifths’.

In addition to going up in frequency by the 3:2 interval, we can also go down with division
by 3, e.g. 2:3. Instead of bringing us 7 steps clockwise on the OS clock, this will bring us 7
steps counter-clockwise. So from 12 we would end up on the 5 o’clock line, but an octave
down. We can multiply by 2, for 4:3, to come back up into the current octave with values
between 1 & 2. 7 steps backward is equivalent to 5 steps forward on a clock. So 5 steps
forward corresponds to an interval of 4:3. This interval, known as the ‘Perfect Fourth’, is
strongly related to the Fifth interval above and is also very harmonic. The ratio associated
with this 5-step interval is (2^(5/12)) = 1.335…, which is very close to 4:3 = 1.333…. Its
inverse is (2^(-5/12)) = 0.749153…, which is the other ratio in Ian’s Trine calculator.

Comparable ratios are determined for other clock lines. These are illustrated as the red
numbers in the attached diagram. Some of these ratios or intervals are more harmonic than
others, depending on how simple the fraction in question is. In practice, seven of the most
harmonic intervals are chosen from the 12 available within an octave to form a working
scale. Combining the seven intervals and including both the start and end points of an
octave we get a total of 8 notes. This is where the term octave comes from. The chosen
intervals and notes are counted – unison, second through seventh + octave, as marked in
the diagram. The notes are also denoted as A through G starting from the 9 o’clock
position.

The chosen intervals and notes are shown as the white keys on a piano, for example. These
are marked in white in the attached diagram. The remaining 5 intervals and notes are
designated as sharps (#) or a step up in frequency from the ‘white’ note below it. These are
the black keys on a piano and are marked grey in the diagram.

The 3:2 interval and other similar ratios determine the degree of harmony between notes.
Collectively they divide an octave cycle into 12 segments or clock positions. However, the
positions aren’t exactly uniformly spaced. This is where an element of compromise enters
the picture. It’s desirable to have simple / clean number ratios for harmonic strength and
purity and to have uniform spacing for ease of handling and free movement up and down
the scales.

When we apply the 3:2 fifth ratio once we get a difference from uniform spacing of 0.1% or
an angle of 0.4°, which is insignificant. But, with repeated application the difference

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accumulates.
After 12 Octave
applications, i.e. Unison

to go all the way

round the clock,
Seventh
the difference is
1.4% or an angle
of about 5°. This Second
is more
noticeable and is
referred to as the
Pythagorean
Comma.
Sixth
There are a
number of ways
to deal with this.
One is to adopt
Third
uniform spacing
at frequency
steps of
(2^(1/12)) =
Fifth Fourth
1.059463… This
gives us the Equal
Temper scale.
The price paid is
that we are dealing with messier numbers with a lot of decimal places. This blunts the
purity of harmonic alignment somewhat.

The other approach is to try to preserve the pure ratios, such as 3:2, 4:3 and so on. This was
the traditional approach in such as the Pythagorean and Just Intonation scales. The ideal is
to try to find a balance between preserving pure ratios and equal spacing of notes as much
as possible. For example, in the diagram the pure ratio positions are indicated by the light
blue ray lines. The uniformly spaced equal temper lines are shown as the grey clock lines
behind them. Once the octave boundaries are accurately aligned for each octave then there
is reasonable correspondence between the two options for most of the notes.

The key disharmonic note in these scales is half way through an octave, shown here at the 6
o’clock position. This is known as the Tritone. Its ratio is (2^(6/12)) = √2 = 1.414… The
Pythagoreans were smart enough to recognise that this couldn’t be resolved directly to a
number ratio and it caused consternation at the time. So it’s fundamentally disharmonic.
As a result, in the past many music scales deliberately avoided it. However, it does provide
contrast with too much harmony and more use is made of it in recent times. In Krystal
Spiral terms, the most harmonic notes are at the quadrant 90° interval (x 2) points. The
most disharmonic notes are at the intermediate octant 45° (x = √2) points.

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Getting back to Ian’s presentation, yes, the KS is highly relevant as shown. Yes, existing
conventional tuning with A = 440Hz is off. This aligns the 9 o’clock position in the attached
diagrams with 440 = 8 x 55, which is a Fibonacci alignment. This pulls the associated octave
boundaries and harmonics out of KS alignment. A = 432(= 3 x 144)Hz tuning is much better
and is in good KS alignment.

When working on this in earlier years, Ash had suggested a connection with the Star Fire
cycle and number sequence and this was studied at the time. The x 12 up-steps didn’t make
much sense for moving up through the frequency scales. But 12 did make a huge amount of
sense for dividing the existing octaves into finer scales of notes. The key element here is the
3 that is present in the 12. The 2’s embedded in the 12 (i.e. 12 = 2 x 2 x 3) didn’t have much
impact on harmonic structure. The notes simply moved out along their harmonic rays. It’s
the 3 that moves notes around within an octave, to produce a 12-fold division. The role of 2
is to build the octave structure and that of 3 is to sub-divide the octaves, for more detailed
and interesting scales.

Taking 144 as a starting point for scales, however, creates some issues. One or unity is the
key foundational point for these exponential (multiplication) spirals and in particular for the
KS. It’s the starting point for number expansion, i.e. 1, 2, 4, 8, and so on. Likewise, it’s the
starting point for contraction inwards, e.g. 1, ½, ¼, 1/8, and so on. Taking 144 as a starting
point establishes this and x 2 multiples of it as octave boundaries. If we run this sequence
backwards, by progressive division by 2, we get 72, 36, 18, 9 and then run into fractions.
The nearest we get to 1 is 9 / 8 = 1.125. This misses the starting point of the KS by 1/8. This
is equivalent to 1/8 of the octave cycle between 1 & 2. This in turn is equivalent to 360 / 8 =
45° angular shift of the alignment pattern on the OS diagrams. This means that these octave
boundaries don’t align with the KS. 144, lying above 128 and below 256, isn’t significant in
the KS number sequence. However, there can be more direct alignment with the KS at
points within these octaves.

Taking 144 as a starting point does two things. It rotates the earlier frequency pattern,
derived from the 1 starting point, a small amount, so that it aligns exactly with one of the
octave note positions. This means that the accuracy of multiples of 144, such as 288, 432
and so on will be tighter, as demonstrated in the presentation, and is perfectly okay.
However it also rotates the whole pattern a more significant amount, so that 144, instead of
128, aligns with the octave boundaries. This is where the problem lies. It improves 144-
point accuracy, at the expense of muddying KS alignment. KS alignment is important, as it
holds a high degree of connection within itself and to other structures, particularly the
Kathara Grid and associated dimensional structure.

Yes, combining Trines of notes is very interesting. These tie in with the chords of
conventional music. The particular arrangement, combining a note with its counterparts 5
steps and 7 steps ahead, such as A, D & E, is highly harmonic. This is illustrated with the
small circles in the attached diagram. The harmony arises from the associated 4:3 and 3:2
frequency ratios or intervals mentioned earlier. Any such combination of notes will be
harmonic, e.g. C, F & G and so on.

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Yes, the number ratios used to generate frequencies in the trine calculator can be used to
progressively generate all the music frequencies. These number ratios embed the 3:2
interval that generates the circle of fifths, in one way or another, and will behave
accordingly.

The behaviour of the trine calculator ratios in bringing sets of frequencies back to whole
numbers is interesting. But, unfortunately, there is an element of ‘circular logic’ there. The
0.749… (~3:4) ratio acts to move a frequency down scale by 5 steps and the 0.667… (~2:3)
ratio similarly moves down by 7 steps. The octave boundaries start with a whole number, in
this case 144. This is multiplied up through the octaves by 2 and preserves whole number
form. If we pick a frequency that is 5 steps up from an octave boundary. Then the first trine
ratio will step it down by 5 steps to the octave boundary and its family of whole numbers.
Likewise, if we pick a frequency 7 steps up from an octave boundary, the second trine ratio
will step it ack down by 7 steps to the octave boundary and its whole numbers.

Overall, it’s wonderful to explore these harmonic structures and numbers and to get a
hands-on feel for their behaviour and the underlying processes. What’s interesting here is
to see how the behaviour and interaction of two such simple numbers as 2 & 3 can create
such powerful structures. 1 begets, 2, which begets 3. This produces 4, but 4 is an
extension of 2. The next significant number in this pattern is 5. The first 3 prime numbers,
2, 3 & 5 are key to sacred mathematics. They are present in dimensional structure,
Merkaba spin ratios and so on. The big challenge is to figure out the role of 5 in harmonic
structure!

Noel.