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John Coltrane Circle of Fifths Drawing Poster

John Coltrane'south Drawing of the Mathematical Soul of Music

Inspire

The saxophonist and composer explains, in a geometric drawing, that intimate connection between music and mathematics.

In the last verse of his "Other Poem of the Gifts," Jorge Luis Borges thanked the "divine labyrinth of effects and causes" for "music, the mysterious course of time." To this idea, nosotros might add together that music also exists as a sublimated expression of mathematics and geometry. This, the saxophonist and composer John Coltrane once affirmed with his ain drawing.

The visual experiment is believed to have been created by Coltrane during a menstruation when he undertook an in-depth study of Indian music along with a study of some of the theories of Albert Einstein. The circle, which may exist said to resemble a clock, incorporates some of Coltrane's theoretical innovations into a well-known musical scheme. The drawing was presented in 1967 to young man saxophonist and professor, Yusef Lateef, Coltrane's colleague and tutor. Lateef always perceived a kind of spiritual path in Coltrane'south music.

Sketch of the Coltrane Circle

Known every bit "The Coltrane Circle" or "Coltrane's Circle of Tones," the diagram is based on the circle of fifths which, in musical theory, is a geometric representation of the relationships between the 12 semitones of the chromatic calibration, their notations (flat or sharp), and their relative shades. The outer ring portrays the hexatonic or whole-tone scale of the note Practice, and the inner ring portrays the hexatonic scale of Si. The series of terms and structures is easily understood by those who've studied musical theory. For those of us who haven't, the graphic is a beautiful enigma, visually and intuitively explaining the relationship between music and mathematics.

Despite the depth of his study, Coltrane spoke very footling on musical theory. His cognition in the field is reflected rather more in his legendary compositions. For this very reason, Coltrane's circle is a rare, valuable and surprisingly beautiful piece of work. A five-pointed star drawn in union with all the Do notes of the scale.

Mayhap every musical composer is, in i manner or some other, as well a mathematician. Coltrane's circle, a symmetrical lawmaking or a mandala adorned with numbers and letters, expresses precisely what is, at one time, both paradoxical and obvious.

*Images: 1) remix from the album embrace Settin' The Peace / Creative Commons; 2) Creative Eatables

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Source: https://www.faena.com/aleph/john-coltranes-drawing-of-the-mathematical-soul-of-music