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Microtonality is the use in music of microtones — intervals smaller than a semitone, also called "microintervals".It may also be extended to include any music using intervals not found in the customary Western tuning of twelve equal intervals per octave.
A semitone is thus made of two steps, and three steps make a three-quarter tone or neutral second, half of a minor third. The 8-TET scale is composed of three-quarter tones. Four steps make a whole tone. Quarter tones and intervals close to them also occur in a number of other equally tempered tuning systems.
Entrainment in the biomusicological sense refers to the synchronization (e.g., foot tapping) of organisms to an external perceived rhythm such as human music and dance. Humans are the only species for which all individuals experience entrainment, although there are documented examples of entrained nonhuman individuals.
12-tone equal temperament chromatic scale on C, one full octave ascending, notated only with sharps. Play ascending and descending ⓘ. 12 equal temperament (12-ET) [a] is the musical system that divides the octave into 12 parts, all of which are equally tempered (equally spaced) on a logarithmic scale, with a ratio equal to the 12th root of 2 (≈ 1.05946).
Prehistoric music (previously called primitive music) is a term in the history of music for all music produced in preliterate cultures , beginning somewhere in very late geological history. Prehistoric music is followed by ancient music in different parts of the world, but still exists in isolated areas.
Humans naturally learn the harmonic series as infants. This is essential for many auditory activities such as understanding speech (see formant ) and perceiving tonal music. [ 13 ] In the harmonic series, overtones of a fundamental tonic tone occur as integer multiples of the tonic frequency.
Octave equivalence is a part of most advanced [clarification needed] musical cultures, but is far from universal in "primitive" and early music. [ 8 ] [ failed verification ] [ 9 ] [ clarification needed ] The languages in which the oldest extant written documents on tuning are written, Sumerian and Akkadian , have no known word for "octave".
Since music may facilitate social cohesion, improve group effort, reduce conflict, facilitate perceptual and motor skill development, and improve trans-generational communication, [12] music-like behavior may at some stage have become incorporated into human culture. Another proposed adaptive function is creating intra-group bonding. In this ...