It all starts with an anchor-point From there, others can be found First next ones, some neighbors Then, expand further out and out Into the constellations one by one Recognizing one after the other On the vast curved firmament Free of continual straight lines But proportions and patterns To be discovered as realities The view of a simple human Truth of the given moment This helps one’s orientation For more of these will come To quickly identify the stars In the vastness of the skies Sparkling brilliantly at night As clouds allow one to see Likely recognize ever more One by one leading further In harmony – like in music Tonalities that open doors Bridges from here to now All ways anew renewing This flow of life and love Or be left behind a while If ossifying before dying Best remain supple fluid In a golden heart of love.
TetraNa — tonality of the month of September 2021 — short sound sample, rhythmic — 1:44
Another anchor-point
“In spite of living in this suffering world I continue to believe that nothing can stain the purity of each existence. That is my understanding… that, in an absolute sense, no one can harm your life.”
— Embracing Mind, The Zen talks of Kobun Chino Otogawa, p. 8
Manifested anchor-point — home-grown spirals of Romanesco — August 2021 — Grächwil, Switzerland
The September 2021 tonality of the month is TetraNa, a Na tonality and tetratonality.
1) TetraNa — short sound sample, rhythmic — August 2021 — 1:44 loop 2) TetraNa — short sound sample, calm — August 2021 — 1:51 loop 3) TetraNa with a touch of Mixolydian — double 8-string guitar, gong, singing saw — August 2021 — 10:31
The tonality of this month of September is TetraNa, a Na(tural harmonics) tonality and exceptional tetratonality. Because it is the only tetratonality currently in the Tonalibus catalogue, it is listed along with pentatonalities. It is the first, most fundamentally pure Na tonality because it contains only the first four natural overtones. Na tonalities are uniquely harmonious and ideally span over multiple octaves, preferably three or four. They follow the sequence of natural harmonics or overtones and eventually form an arch with secondary harmonics turning into tertiary ones (or reciprocals) and thus lead to more commonly known tonalities. TetraNa is the entry point to this progression. Na(tural harmonics) tonalities will soon appear in the Tonalibus catalogue.
You may enjoy a sound sample loop, such as the one of the tonality of the month, as sound mantra for contemplation or meditation, for upliftment, focusing, or simply for relaxation and regeneration as soothing background sound. Further, you could hum or chant along, for example using HU or another mantra syllable, and tune yourself to the fundamental.
Tonalibus office and balcony before sunrise — August 2021 — Grächwil, Switzerland
Hello silence Breathe in and out On and on through time Continually reach the now In consciousness and spirit Incarnations framed in flesh Let go change from here to now Planes, bodies, manifestations People and events in flow Like waves on a shore Droplets in a brook Eternal love divine Miracles’ sound Silence o’heart Oh, hello soul Hello love!
(Partially inspired by the booklet Hallo Stille [Hello Silence] by Nicole Keller)
Early morning dawn — August 2021 — Grächwil, Switzerland
This August 2021 Tonalibus update first touches briefly on the new album Tonalibus A, B, & C. Then it presents a new personal and two new cooperation sound samples. Further it highlights the current expansion of the tonalities catalogue. This is a work in progress and linked to ongoing research and experimentation with harmonics or overtones, including reciprocals, inverse and nested relations.
Tonalibus A, B, & C — the album released
The album Tonalibus A, B, & C with its thirty-one personal sound samples by Ulrico is available globally on many music platforms, e.g., Spotify, YouTube Music, Apple Music, Deezer, and more. You can find links to the main platforms and a detailed listing of the tracks in the Fidibus Shop entry for the album Tonalibus A, B, & C. May you enjoy these sounds — heart to heart, soul to soul!
New personal and cooperation sound samples
“Natural harmonics gateway” — first step in a Na tonality
Harmonics or overtones and resonance are fundamental to harmony. Therefore, Na tonalities are uniquely harmonious. Ideally, they span over multiple octaves, at least three or four. They follow the sequence of natural harmonics or overtones and form an arch with secondary harmonics turning into tertiary ones (or reciprocals). Thus they lead to more commonly known tonalities. Na(tural harmonics) tonalities and other additions will soon appear in the Tonalibus catalogue.
Finding these tonalities was like mining ore. New tonalities kept leading to others like in a main strand of ore. Plus there were also side strands leading to further tonalities outside the Na group qualifying to be added to the catalogue. Eventually though they all led to already existing tonalities, which strengthens the validity of the catalogue as it is.
In total, so far this brought forth close to twenty additional tonalities qualifying for the Tonalibus catalogue, including a few existing tonality name adjustments. Thus, PentaPro or PentaNa, the tonality of the current month of August, received its second name, PentaNa. And the group of clustered or melodic tonalities expands to include also two super-clustered tonalities with a step pattern of five consecutive whole steps and two consecutive half steps.
The following two visuals present the group of Na tonalities and their main modulation path that fully follows the natural harmonics series.
Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-11 – 82
Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-11 – 81
Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2023-11 – 83x
Tonalibus 1e-3 tonalities – 2021-08 – 75y
The numbers in the above visuals represent the halftone positions of a tonality’s pitches within their vertically, top-down depicted octave.
Reciprocal harmonics — fascinating relationships
Current Tonalibus research focuses among other things on reciprocal harmonics. These are mirror image or inverse harmonic relationships.
The most significant example of this is the quart (perfect fourth). It carries its fundamental octave as primary harmonic, its quint (perfect fifth). However, the quart itself is but the second last pitch of the occidental twelve-tone system to appear approximately in the harmonic or overtone series as the twenty-first harmonic or overtone and one of the four most deviating ones. Nevertheless, besides the quint, the quart is one of the two primary anchors of a tonality, as the tonality’s fundamental is its reciprocal quint.Tonalibus calls the quart the regressive tonality anchor, because it shows where a tonality comes from. The quart in a way creates the fundamental. But then it has to contend with being one of the least harmonious pitches in the resulting tonality’s harmonic series. This can be called the generational interplay of harmony, the theme of a previous blog post.
The above may lead one to look for and recognize corresponding relationships of harmony in life in other contexts beyond music. But this goes beyond the current scope of Tonalibus and you may contemplate this as you see fit.
Similarly fascinating harmonic relationships can be observed between the major sixth and major third, between the minor third and minor seventh, as well as between other pitches. Relationships of this kind go beyond mere concepts. They are based on physically measurable observations that can be reproduced. More about this may come out in future Tonalibus posts.
Best wishes to conclude this August 2021 Tonalibus update
„Schläft ein Lied in allen Dingen, [Sleeps a song in things abounding,] Die da träumen fort und fort, [that keep dreaming to be heard,] Und die Welt hebt an zu singen, [Earth’s tunes will start resounding,] Triffst du nur das Zauberwort. [if you but find the magic word.]“
— Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff, Wünschelrute, 1835
Forests, fields, a horizon of mountains, and the silhouette of a lonely birch — Grächwil/Meikirch, Switzerland
For the remainder One’s very own way Through the gate Into a realization Of self and God.
Free of ambition Flow like water Humble as air As solid as rock In spirit and love The golden heart Detached surrender Embracing the present.
Here is all that is What will be was What was will be The moment now In spiritual freedom.
Traveling as soul Conscious beyond Listening and looking What experience is Within and without Melting into unity Individually all one Working together In relative harmony Divine love all the way May the blessings be.
“It is heaven that knocks at your heart, and it wants to walk with you in what you encounter, a person or an event, for part of the way. This can be shorter or longer, even last the rest of your life, but don’t worry about that. What matters is not quantity, but quality, your willingness to open up and to offer your heart. … [This is] about love in all its forms, about letting yourself be transformed by it. The angel of the encounter then takes care of the rest.” — Kontexte des Segens [Contexts of Blessing], ䷞ #31 Hiën 咸, Die Anziehung [Attraction], Unvoreingenommene Begegnung mit dem Du [Unbiased encounter with the you], Thomas Primas
“Heaven and earth influence each other, and all things take shape and come into being. The wise one influences the hearts of people, and the world comes into peace and tranquility. If you look at the emanating influences, you may recognize the nature of heaven and earth and all beings.” — I Ging, das Buch der Wandlungen [I Ching, the Book of Changes], #31 ䷞ Hiën 咸, Die Einwirkung (die Werbung) [Exposure, courtship], 1972 Diederichs edition, p. 485
Six-second video to end this post, for the remainder
To start the video, click on the arrow or image.
Sparkles of glacial melt water in an Alpine mountain brook, July 2021, Kiental, Switzerland
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