[lbo-talk] Language, music, and Kenneally

Alan Rudy alan.rudy at gmail.com
Wed Sep 2 08:35:49 PDT 2009


On Wed, Sep 2, 2009 at 11:14 AM, Michael Smith <mjs at smithbowen.net> wrote:


> On Wed, 02 Sep 2009 01:16:30 -0700
> Chuck Grimes <cgrimes at rawbw.com> wrote:
>
> > Through a variety of experiments and studies, it
> > also turns out that languages sounds and music making sounds have a
> > correlation to the 12 tone chromatic scale of sounds. In other words the
> > sounds that make up language sounds are pretty much the same as those
> > that make up music.
>
> This sounds mighty fishy. One would like to hear more about these
> "experiments and studies." For one thing, the "twelve tone chromatic
> scale" is an extremely recent Western European invention.

...SNIP...


>
> If anything the pentatonic scale (in just intonation, NB, not
> tempered or Pythagorean) is more nearly universal.
>
> It is fascinating how often, and in what multifarious guises, we
> find this same impulse to universalize our cultural norms.
>
>
Well said, historically supported, compartively situated and convincing... at least to me. -Alan



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