[hatmatrix]

I had to laugh out loud when I read that the author openly admits to not being a pianist or a piano teacher... but a physicist. It reminds me a lot of physicists I know who approach every problem with the assumption that they can do it better than people who have been trying to solve the problem long before. On occasion, they are right, but this clearly appears to be one of those other times.

[jeffwass]

As both a physicist and a pianist, I have to comment that it’s not only physicists that make these assumptions.

[agumonkey]

Btw, do you have a reflex to model music as an abstract mathematical/geometric structure since you have a physics background ?

I'm not even a physicist but I cannot help but to see non linear interpolated curves and surfaces when I hear music. (curvature being somehow related to dissonance).

[eru]

Well, a lot of harmonies are built on top of the harmonic series.

See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wx_kugSemfY

And tuning is all about 'numerical puns', similar to how eg 2^10 ~ 10^3, but for perfect fifths and octaves etc.

Of course, our physiology and culture is a bit too complicated and convoluted to understand everything about music from first principles like this. So most of the time you are better off learning (and treating) music as music instead of as applied math or physics.

[microtherion]

Obligatory xkcd: https://xkcd.com/793/

[hatmatrix]

Exactly! Forgotten about that XKCD