Frequency ratios
Two waves and their sum for seven intervals, from octave to minor second, with the whole-number ratio that approximates each one.
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Content under musical review. It may contain inaccuracies.
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Two waves and their sum for seven intervals, from octave to minor second, with the whole-number ratio that approximates each one.
Advanced
Each consonant interval approximates a simple ratio between the frequencies of its two notes: the octave 2 to 1, the fifth 3 to 2, the fourth 4 to 3. This animation draws both waves and their sum. The simpler the ratio, the more regular the sum; the more complex, the more irregular, and the ear hears it as more tense.