Interval Strength
David Cope (1997) suggests the concept of interval strength, in which an interval's strength, consonance, or stability (see consonance and dissonance) is determined by its approximation to a lower and stronger, or higher and weaker, position in the harmonic series. See also: Lipps–Meyer law.
Thus, an equal tempered perfect fifth ( play) is stronger than an equal tempered minor third ( play), since they approximate a just perfect fifth ( play) and just minor third ( play), respectively. The just minor third appears between harmonics 5 and 6 while the just fifth appears lower, between harmonics 2 and 3.
Read more about this topic: Harmonic Series (music)
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