Integrative Music of the Lambdoma.

BARBARA FERRELL HERO [1]

ROBERT MILLER FOULKROD [2]

Presented at The Pavlovian Society's Plenary Session, October 1, 1999

Introduction

MUSICAL NOTES ARE SOUNDS at specific frequencies. At the present time in the Western world, scales are usually based upon a fixed man-made formula, called a tempered scale. The original harmonic scale, based upon Pythagoras' insights, was made up of a matrix of whole-numbered ratios. These ratios determine the harmonic progression and sub-harmonic progression of a cluster of scales. When a specific frequency is multiplied by a specific ratio a second frequency is defined. The relationship between any two frequencies in music is called an interval. When two tones, whose frequencies are in a whole-number relationship to each other, are played simultaneously, the interval is harmonic. Harmonic intervals are "consonant" or "pleasing" or "smooth" and provide aesthetic satisfaction. All the intervals in a Lambdoma matrix of ratios are consonant with each other. The word "octave" describes the doubling or the halving of a frequency, such as the note "C" and the similar note "C" above or below the original "C" (a ra tio 2:1 or 1:2). A musical "fifth" (a ratio of 3:2) and a musical "fourth" (a ratio of 4:3) are of universal preference. Pythagoras attempted to find a mathematical relationship between intervals and aesthetics, suggesting that the simpler the ratio of the two parts, into which an instrument's string is divided, the more perfect is the consonant of the two sounds produced. Finally, the Lambdoma matrix is based upon harmonic ratios, all defining consonant relationships to any fundamental frequency of sound that is given as the 1:1 entry for the 16 by 16 matrix. This means that multiple scales of different frequencies, all in a harmonic relationship to each other, may be found for an infinite variety of fundamental frequencies in an infinite variety of matrices. It is this factor that leads to an interdisciplinary decoding of harmonic relationships between objects in many fields, including the arts, sciences, and human behavior.

The Lambdoma matrix includes special harmonic scales of music that enhance our sensation of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual stimuli levels. With the advent of the computer, these scales can be reproduced in any audible frequency based upon any keynote. The full Lambdoma matrix can encompass 256 separate intervals that are completely harmonic in their 16 ascending harmonic …