Natural Harmonic Music
is music that uses the Natural Harmonic Series and
it's mathematical inversion, the Subharmonic Series as the basis for
tuning scales and chords.
Since both of these series are infinite there is
no limit to the variety of tonal materials that can be derived from them.
This provides a solution to the problem of tonality, in it's conventional
12 tone to the octave form, having been exhausted over a century ago.
The Natural Harmonic Series has existed in the
realm of Timbre or Tone Quality for millennia, and for that reason the
lowest 5 harmonics were the original basis for the development of scales
and chords in the Western tradition. These pitches were modified in the
eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to compensate for the limitations
of early keyboard instruments, to the extent that the natural materials
were all but forgotten, yielding long lists of rules for which many
teachers are unable to explain. When all the possibilities for creating
original music with these 12 tones were used up, the mistaken belief arose
that Tonality itself had been exhausted.
However, with the open-ended Lambdoma or Tonality
Diamond, which is a matrix of Harmonic and Subharmonic Series scales,
endless possibilities exist for Tonality, Consonance and Dissonance,
Progressions, Resolutions and Modulation.
The same qualities that make these materials ideal
for pitch organization also make them ideal for rhythmic structures. This
opens up the possibility for polyrhythmic structures and progressions that
utilize the same principles of tonality to create entirely new dimensions
of musical integration.
The Natural Harmonic Series
as a Practical Approach to Just Intonation, by
Denny Genovese explains this in more
detail.
more about
Natural Harmonic Music
World Harmony Project Archives Available on this Website
Material that was previously only
available by visiting our library, is gradually being scanned and posted
onto this website for free, open access.
The material includes scores, articles,
photos, charts and recordings, related to Natural Harmonic Music, Just Intonation, Microtonality,
New
Musical Instruments and more. Videos will be available soon.
The Ivor
Darreg section has scans of photos, articles and other materials that
Ivor sent to Denny Genovese, as a member of the original Xenharmonic
Alliance. Ivor was a member of World Harmony Project's board of advisors,
from the beginning.
A section devoted to
Jules Siegel is also up, which includes his
articles on composing with the Natural Harmonic Series, and an entire
album of his music, which was conceived for orchestra and produced
electronically.
Much more is being added from time
to time.
To see an index of this entire site click here.
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New Musical Instruments
Instruments of Denny Genovese
Instruments of Jeff Bunting
Instruments of Harry Partch
 
Instruments of Ivor Darreg
Streaming
Natural Harmonic Music
now available on this Site!
Thanks to Chris Vaisvil for
hosting the audio files and the seamless links between this site and his.
Now you can hear what Natural Harmonic Music sounds like!
go to the music page
Plan for the Future:
World Harmony Project -
Music Center
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