Harmony

Have you ever wondered what a guitarist plays on the guitar?

What notes are the strings sounding?

They press on a fret with a certain placement of fingers, which alters the pitch of each string, and strum the strings. trrrang! Something sounds - they call it a chord. It is basically a cluster of notes. It sounds... "harmonious". But what is harmonious? What is harmony?

Harmony is a cluster of notes

If you sound any note and its fifth note simultaneously - for example play C (1) and G (5) - you will instantly feel as if they "go together". You'll also feel deeply nourished and somehow very anchored. Try playing a note and its flat-second together - e.g., C (1) and C# (b2) - wow, that is not pleasant at all. In fact, it is almost repulsive. Again play a note and its natural 3rd note together - e.g., C (1) and E (3) - they sound nice, calm, happy. What about the flat 3rd? C(1) and Eb (b3) when played together give a sense of danger, gloom.

Why is all this happening? Why is any of this happening?