E harmonic base

Harmonic base verification

To verify your harmonic base with E, your personal fundamental pitch, turn on the E drone loop. Take a moment to tune in.

With the E drone running, one at a time and with a moment of listening just to the fundamental drone in between, leisurely try out the two pitches below as many times as you like. Determine which one of the two, A or B, suits you better in the context of the E drone.

By choosing B over A or both equally, you verify E, your personal fundamental pitch, to be the fundamental for your individual tonalities, forming their harmonic base with B as their quint. But if you clearly chose A over B, you can proceed with A as fundamental for your individual tonalities, forming their harmonic base with E, your personal fundamental, as their quint.

Reference loops

Turn off any running loop before starting another, or they may sound simultaneously.

E with B

A with E

Explanation

The harmonic base of a tonality is its fundamental together with its quint (fifth), the first overtone or harmonic that is not an octave of the fundamental. E, your chosen fundamental pitch, may well be the fundamental of your individual tonalities, together with B as quint. However, if verifying your harmonic base you chose A over B, through the miracle of nature, A becomes the fundamental of your individual tonalities, and your chosen personal fundamental pitch becomes their quint.