When two notes are an octave apart, one has double the frequency of the other yet we perceive them as being the same note – a “C” for example. Why is this? Readers give their take This question has a ...

Notes with frequencies that are in simple whole-number ratios, like 1:2, 2:3 or 4:5, sound good when played together. This is the basis of musical harmony. After unison (1:1) and the octave (2:1), the ...