Physicist here, something I realized when I tried to learn music theory is that the notation is unnecessarily complex and they have a sort of mythological explanation as for why things are the way they are, for example:
- why are there 12 notes and not any other number?
- Why certain notes sound well together (as in a chord)
It seems like the choice of notes is due to wanting a certain amount of (mathematical) closure with octaves and fifths while also allowing for transposition.
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[ 3.1 ms ] story [ 17.1 ms ] thread- why are there 12 notes and not any other number?
- Why certain notes sound well together (as in a chord)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK2jYk37Rlg&t=464s
(Starts at 7:44 and ends at 14:23.)
It seems like the choice of notes is due to wanting a certain amount of (mathematical) closure with octaves and fifths while also allowing for transposition.