The Rhythm of The Primes

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 พ.ค. 2024
  • As part of 3blue1brown's summer of math exposition #2, I decided to make a crazy video I've always thought about making, exploring the interlocking nature of prime rhythmic cycles. For 10 minutes of just the music and no commentary, see • The Rhythm of the Prim... . For the making-of video, see • The Making of The Rhyt...
    All the music was created using the SCAMP libraries for computer-assisted music in Python: (scamp.marcevanstein.com/ ), while the animations were done in Processing (processing.org/ ). I plan to produce a making-of video in the coming weeks in which I run through the code.
    If you like this kind of thing and are interested in learning to do it yourself, consider taking my course on Kadenze.com, which will guide you step-by-step in getting started with Python and SCAMP, and also helps supports my work: www.kadenze.com/courses/compu...
    Further information on lessons and workshops I teach can be found here: teaching.marcevanstein.com/
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  • @marcevanstein
    @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +131

    For those of you wondering how this was made, check out the making-of video: th-cam.com/video/GzrTmukxUxA/w-d-xo.html

    • @alvargd6771
      @alvargd6771 ปีที่แล้ว

      you didnt make an inverted harmonic series, you made the normal harmonic series with a scalar lol

    • @naturalphenomenon1402
      @naturalphenomenon1402 ปีที่แล้ว

      Awesome video!
      Can you help with a similar music project?
      Planets like Saturn have rings of asteroids. They remind me of a vinyl record or CD. If we had a high-res image of Saturn, could it set to music?

    • @morrisgreg2176
      @morrisgreg2176 ปีที่แล้ว

      For those of you!

    • @brianlhughes
      @brianlhughes ปีที่แล้ว

      Quite a few years ago I made an array of primes and then using bitwise math triggered midi notes in the same key as bits 3 through 12 or so turned on in the integers as the array was cycled through, the bits acting like the pegs in a music box. It played an interesting song. I also painted a picture with the bits of primes in a strip. Low bits at the top. If the bit were on I drew a small line on the screen down to about 24 bits or so. The ribbon of primes was ghastly looking, bizarre, never repeating. With the same algorithm if you painted all integers the strip looks like a pristine orderly mountain range, but the prime version was ugly looking. I looked to see if I still had a copy of it, but no, I'd have to do it over again.

  • @samevans4834
    @samevans4834 ปีที่แล้ว +4587

    If you think about it, all polyrhythms are just this polyrhythm with channels muted

    • @Qermaq
      @Qermaq ปีที่แล้ว +45

      @@joe_z Cool so say we do that.

    • @leocomerford
      @leocomerford ปีที่แล้ว +22

      See also: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euclidean_rhythm

    • @isaacbeen2087
      @isaacbeen2087 ปีที่แล้ว +48

      the Schillinger system is worth a look … his theory of rhythm is quite relevant here …

    • @ccshumshum8104
      @ccshumshum8104 ปีที่แล้ว +113

      if you think about it a bed is the same as a bathtub only without a bed and with a bathtub and in the bathroom

    • @Qermaq
      @Qermaq ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@ccshumshum8104 It's literally a waterbed.

  • @rewiringthoughts1038
    @rewiringthoughts1038 ปีที่แล้ว +223

    "One of the problems with infinity is, that you do rather tend to run out of percussion sounds" 🤣

    • @FireFoxie1345
      @FireFoxie1345 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      Impossible

    • @Georgia-Vic
      @Georgia-Vic ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Das true Mon because I'm a drummer and I run out sometimes...so frustrating!🫤🪘

    • @KaceyMoe1969
      @KaceyMoe1969 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      Sounds like something Douglas Adams might've written had he been a music critic.

    • @pantommy
      @pantommy ปีที่แล้ว +5

      You do only have 19.980 possible distinct usable sounds (although anything above 19.000Hz is nigh unhearable), that's if you're not counting cent differences which are hard to spot without a good ear.

    • @alejandrorodetsep
      @alejandrorodetsep 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      You are only counting frequency (and just the fundamental). You can make a note, for example 440hz, with so many different timbre, adding more tan 19.980 possible sounds.

  • @spiderstheythem
    @spiderstheythem ปีที่แล้ว +1375

    i'd love some no-commentary videos of this just playing for like 10 minutes, or maybe 1 hour, with different mappings

    • @PianoHypnoshroom
      @PianoHypnoshroom ปีที่แล้ว +89

      yeah, that would be great, just like the sorting algorithm sound videos made by someone else

    • @waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3
      @waltuh2.3bviews3secondsago3 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Same

    • @pythonstudios4129
      @pythonstudios4129 ปีที่แล้ว

      th-cam.com/video/EsO9COuLPIE/w-d-xo.html

    • @stevel875
      @stevel875 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Every time the commentery asked "can you hear..." about some aspect of the sound I was thinking "no, because I've only had a couple of seconds and you keep talikg over it". Unlike the video editor we've not heard the isolated sound pre-edit to be able to be reminded of the sound of each variant from a clip of a couple of seconds... It's worth the editor bearing in mind that viewers will be hearing these interesting sounds for the first time. Hopefully some more extended clips in the "making of..." video mentioned in the description.

    • @PianoHypnoshroom
      @PianoHypnoshroom ปีที่แล้ว +24

      if anyone's still looking for a no-commentary video of this, it's here:
      th-cam.com/video/M48319x1Kg4/w-d-xo.html

  • @OrpheoCT
    @OrpheoCT ปีที่แล้ว +1954

    This is waaayyy more interesting musically than all the (way too many) uninteresting pi mappings when pi day was at the top of its fad

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +305

      Thanks so much! Yeah... I have a similar reaction to those, since statistically the digits of pi aren't too different from a random number generator.

    • @Sundex
      @Sundex ปีที่แล้ว +43

      The only good one I've seen was one where the tempo is π/4.

    • @Oneiroclast
      @Oneiroclast ปีที่แล้ว +39

      The primes are inherently more interesting. Pi is just a bog standard irrational number, there's nothing special about it and the only reason it gets the recognition it does is because people with no understanding of math think its irrationality, which it shares with almost all other numbers, is some unique and magical property.

    • @alexsheppard237
      @alexsheppard237 ปีที่แล้ว +42

      @@Oneiroclast I do agree with you, but pi is still important nonetheless, it's just that a lot of people think it's important for the wrong reasons.

    • @Krilium
      @Krilium ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@Oneiroclast If you were as good at math as you’re implying then you would know that Pi is indeed a special number…

  • @TheNameIsGamestar
    @TheNameIsGamestar ปีที่แล้ว +41

    Fun Fact: N's Theme from Pokémon Black and White is composed entirely of Prime numbers. Junuchi Masuda, the composer, thought it would be fitting because N is incredibly smart

  • @JustAnotherCommenter
    @JustAnotherCommenter ปีที่แล้ว +143

    8:56 - 9:13 This is unnecessarily funny, lol. The calming voice behind the rapidly increasing speed of percussions and afterwards cutting instantly is what gets me.

    • @faland0069
      @faland0069 ปีที่แล้ว +14

      "can you hear the cycles of the larger primes come into focus now?"
      *sounds of a drum set crashing down the stairs*

    • @lunalgaleo1991
      @lunalgaleo1991 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      ​@@faland0069 😂

  • @Wecoc1
    @Wecoc1 ปีที่แล้ว +27

    9:05 "Can you hear the cycles of the larger primes now?" [Drummer falls downstairs]

  • @maxgeopiano
    @maxgeopiano ปีที่แล้ว +442

    As a musician and math enthusiast this video was very interesting and entertaining.
    Might as well be my favorite so far.

    • @maxgeopiano
      @maxgeopiano ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@boncoderz1430 I started studying for a Bachelor in software engineering this year.
      Music and maths are just hobbies of mine. I play piano, transcribe and produce music in my freetime and studied 2 semesters of pure maths but I quit the latter.

  • @Catman_321
    @Catman_321 ปีที่แล้ว +1075

    can you make a sort of 10 hour thing of just this, this is so cool and kind of calming to listen to tbh

    • @lexinwonderland5741
      @lexinwonderland5741 ปีที่แล้ว +67

      seconded, this is so nice to listen to. i'm not sure if i like a scale or the (inverted) harmonic series better but i want MORE

    • @peternyc
      @peternyc ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Count me in.

    • @phoenizboiisawesome
      @phoenizboiisawesome ปีที่แล้ว +20

      Im gonna try to make it, wish me luck

    • @depauleable
      @depauleable ปีที่แล้ว +7

      Try some G. F. Haas or Xenakis' Rebonds

    • @polarisraven5613
      @polarisraven5613 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@phoenizboiisawesome Any luck?

  • @Xonatron
    @Xonatron ปีที่แล้ว +520

    The Sieve of Eratosthenes algorithm stops at 10 (square root of 100) in your example. The remaining numbers are all prime. Think about it: Any factor above 10 would have been found by a factor below 10 (for numbers up to 100). This is why the sieve is so powerful. If we were to find all the primes to 10,000 we only have to do the sieve to 100. Primes to 1,000,000, only do the sieve to 1,000. Etc.

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +152

      That's absolutely true --- probably should have mentioned it! Of course, if the idea is more of an infinite sieve, rather than one that stops at a certain point, then that's a different story, and that's kind of what I was ultimately going for

    • @adamedmour9704
      @adamedmour9704 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Cool

    • @pauselab5569
      @pauselab5569 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes but it’s still way too much…

    • @sonetagu1337
      @sonetagu1337 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@pauselab5569 @pause lab yes, but not as much. Imaging having to seive a million times, when you could also do it for 1,000 only.
      That is litteraly over-powered.

    • @SmileyMPV
      @SmileyMPV ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Believe it or not but this optimization barely matters. To understand this, think about sieving the multiples of 2. You need to cross off half the numbers in your list. Now think about sieving the multiples of 101. This only takes 1/50th the work. This is where the real power lies in the sieve of eratosthenes.
      We find that sieving all multiples of the numbers 2,3,…,k in the numbers up to N takes (1/2+1/3+…+1/k)N=Nlogk time. All your optimization does is use k=N^1/2 rather than k=N. That only yields an optimization of 1/2.
      But it gets even better. We only sieve multiples of primes. This yields Nloglogk time instead. So as k gets larger, the optimization factor tends to 1 and becomes unnoticeable, let alone significant.
      There are even optimizations to the sieve of eratosthenes to achieve linear running time btw.

  • @johnchessant3012
    @johnchessant3012 ปีที่แล้ว +125

    4:19 Chopin Prelude Op. 28, No. 10 in c# minor

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +44

      True! Thanks for labeling it in case anyone was wondering

    • @tani6990
      @tani6990 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      @@marcevanstein I love that you used that prelude! It’s a little less known, but it’s one of my favorites

    • @ryanjay5119
      @ryanjay5119 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I figured it was Chopin! Just couldn't figure out what piece. Thanks!

    • @msDanielp369
      @msDanielp369 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      takes hat off to sir

    • @epter1
      @epter1 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks you!!!!

  • @eli0damon
    @eli0damon ปีที่แล้ว +366

    This is incredibly cool. When you mentioned trying a faster tempo, it made me think what if we increased the tempo steadily as the song is progresses. Primes on the small end would one by one turn into continuous rising tones that would eventually fade away as they passed out of the audible range, leaving space to hear the larger primes. And we could set an "equalizer" to make them fade soon if we wanted. We could also have the prime-pitch coding change in a steady manner, so that increasingly large primes would pass in and out of the audible pitch range and the natural tempo range at the same time. Using this moving window of pitch and tempo might prevent the song as a whole from blowing up or fading out.

    • @DeuceGenius
      @DeuceGenius ปีที่แล้ว +6

      hell ya

    • @7OwlsWithALaptop
      @7OwlsWithALaptop ปีที่แล้ว

      Someone made that under a different comment, but ill post the link here as well m.th-cam.com/video/sdhpyBGP1xI/w-d-xo.html

    • @air6699
      @air6699 ปีที่แล้ว

      That would be extremely hard to run for longer than a minute probably

    • @bloomp7999
      @bloomp7999 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes i would mike to hear that, we could state it as "the notes that makes one [row] when the row [x] times lower (in the graph) makes some constant rythm" the "x" have to be bog enough so that when larges tempo are heard as such, the row x time uphead is heard as a tone

    • @ale14zoppi
      @ale14zoppi ปีที่แล้ว +11

      This idea is ass.
      I'm screenshotting it, and I'll be back once I've done what you said

  • @DrTrefor
    @DrTrefor ปีที่แล้ว +133

    This video was a delight, thank you!

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +19

      Thanks so much! I just looked you up, and your channel is wonderful. (Watched your video on knots, which I've always been curious to know more about.) If you ever want to collaborate on a mathematical sonification of some sort, I'd definitely be interested!

  • @vegas7912
    @vegas7912 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    8:57 sounds like a percussion band falling down a staircase

  • @seanspartan2023
    @seanspartan2023 ปีที่แล้ว +133

    As someone who is a musician, enjoys coding, and holds a math degree, this was a very enjoyable video and has opened my mind to adding various aspects of primes and other mathematical concepts to my music. Thank you for creating and sharing this! I am in your debt.

  • @Frownlandia
    @Frownlandia ปีที่แล้ว +353

    I'd like to hear the undertones matched with the primes themselves and not the n-th prime. Maybe it wouldn't add much, but it might reveal some structure tonally as well as rhythmically. There are some impressive implications in the math of the harmonic series if you can build intuition around it. You could hypothetically use the log scale structure of the harmonic series to teach times tables with ear training. The kids would likely make weird errors around octaves and powers of two...

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +83

      Yeah, that's an interesting point. Often in just intonation we talk about tunings having different prime limits (e.g. 5-limit, 7-limit), meaning we only allow frequency ratios that break down into prime factors below that limit. I guess in this video, I was more focused on the rhythmic aspect than the tuning, and by going with the nth prime I avoided getting too low to fast.
      I like your idea about times tables and ear training!

    • @Anonymous-df8it
      @Anonymous-df8it ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@marcevanstein What about varying the tempo between each prime to make all of the primes sound equidistant

    • @lexinwonderland5741
      @lexinwonderland5741 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@Anonymous-df8it wow, that would get incredibly high tempo, incredibly quickly. It would be a fun experiment! Considering the distance between primes grows logarithmically it would accelerate almost exponentially to make that distance perceived as linear. Now I'm curious how long you could play it before you exceed your bitrate!

    • @Anonymous-df8it
      @Anonymous-df8it ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@lexinwonderland5741 Well, the more frequent polyrhythms (2,3,5 etc.) will eventually exceed the barrier of rhythm to pitch (20 Hz), so you could replace those with a sine wave. Similarly, when they become inaudible (20 kHz), you can stop playing them.

    • @lexinwonderland5741
      @lexinwonderland5741 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@Anonymous-df8it I like how you think, friend. I made a version up to the 15th prime with overtones (4 octaves) and now you've got me wanting to play around even more haha. The bitrate question is still there with the increasing speed, but regardless this sounds like a fun weekend project!

  • @canaDavid1
    @canaDavid1 ปีที่แล้ว +130

    Technically, these aren't polyrhythms, but polymeters. It's not one bar with different amounts of beats, it's a fixed pulse, but the bar lengths vary

    • @droughdough
      @droughdough ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Can you explain further?

    • @harry_dum7721
      @harry_dum7721 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@droughdough
      Polymeter: Tracks that play in different meters, de-synchronizing themselves from each other (e.g a 5/4 time and a 4/4 time playing together)
      Polyrhythm: Subdivisions that fit within the same bar and whose accents always start on the downbeat of a bar (e.g triplets playing against eighth notes both in 4/4 time)

    • @WaluigiisthekingASmith
      @WaluigiisthekingASmith ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@harry_dum7721 to be fair, there's a very natural correspondence which is to take the least common denominator, call that one bar, and only play beat 1 of each part. That then gives a polyrhythm corresponding to the meter. For example 2+3+5 corresponds to 6:10:15. In general the product of the polyrhythm and the meter giving it is that denominator.

    • @JiihaaS
      @JiihaaS ปีที่แล้ว +2

      This is exactly the type of comment I'd expect on a video like this.

    • @SamChaneyProductions
      @SamChaneyProductions ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@droughdough If you were to write out this music, it would all be 8th notes, they are just at different pitches. With polyrhythms that's not the case, as each different instrument/voice would have to be written as a different tuplet (like a triplet, or quintuplet). Here's the easiest way I can put it:
      Polymeter means there are multiple meters (time signatures) happening simultaneously, but we keep the tempo and the note divisions constant. This means the different instruments do NOT start together at the beginning of each measure, and instead it might take a few bars for them to get back together. As an example, imagine a piano playing 3 8th note pattern played on top of a guitar playing a 4 8th note pattern. The patterns are different lengths but the same speed.
      Polyrhythm means it's all the same time signature, but the different instruments are playing different speeds (or tuplets). In other words, within the space of one measure, one instrument might play 4 notes while the other instrument plays 5 notes, but they always start at back together at the beginning of each measure. The patterns are all the same length but different speeds but the same length

  • @zengakukatsu
    @zengakukatsu ปีที่แล้ว +184

    It would be interesting to hear it where it speeds up logarithmically to keep the introduction of new primes fairly consistent while also fading out the volume of old primes over time to clear out the noise. Would the sound of it stay loosely consistent while also morphing in an organic feeling way?
    You could reuse the same sounds after a certain point since they would fade to nothing, so it should be able to be done forever.

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +78

      This is a *very* interesting idea! Kind of like a Shepard tone, but for prime rhythms

    • @LordOfTheTermites
      @LordOfTheTermites ปีที่แล้ว +22

      Extra cursed shepherd tones

    • @bonbondojoe1522
      @bonbondojoe1522 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      dude I'm absolutely stealing your idea it's amazing

    • @gilmoses3777
      @gilmoses3777 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      @@bonbondojoe1522 Don't forget to share with us!

    • @minecrafting_il
      @minecrafting_il ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@bonbondojoe1522 I request an update

  • @imbezo
    @imbezo ปีที่แล้ว +32

    5:31 Numbers 1-37 looped would sound beautiful. It's interesting to see the hear the microtonality as it leads your ear to the tonic, which is very common in middle eastern music.
    For example, listen to how to 31 is played how it leads your ear to 37. So pretty!
    3, 13, 37, 87 numbers are on the tonic (stable root note)

    • @ravtastic9802
      @ravtastic9802 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      the note frequencies vs primes rhythms are offset by one. so 31 -> 37 is actually 30 -> 36, which is 6->5 once you take out the common factors of 2 and 3, a minor third descent.

  • @wlcrutch
    @wlcrutch ปีที่แล้ว +39

    as a percussionist, programmer, and math student, this is ❤

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      :-) Do you have any videos of yourself playing percussion?

  • @Linguae_Music
    @Linguae_Music ปีที่แล้ว +27

    Sometimes I make generative modular synth music... so its all like sequenced and logic/math based.
    I love playing with primes.
    I'm making a modular EP now ^~^
    Edit: You've given me insight by pointing out that prime polyrhythms have gaps at unassociated prime numbers. And repeat and the square of the first unused prime. ^~^ THANK YOU BUDDY

  • @anisometropie
    @anisometropie ปีที่แล้ว +6

    The 2-3-5-7-11-13 is truly astounding, the emerging patterns are mesmerizing

  • @annehoskins5795
    @annehoskins5795 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    People who are good at math are usually good at music. By using our sense of hearing, we are learning about prime numbers. When I was learning about prime numbers in school, I thought they seemed like awkward lonely numbers. I have since discovered that they are more valuable than I thought. This reminds me of people who seem dull and useless on the surface with hidden genius and talent underneath.

  • @Mathinity
    @Mathinity ปีที่แล้ว +111

    h e a r i n g math properties of primes is amazing. Thanks for this experience! #peer_review

  • @_marshP
    @_marshP ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Honestly, the first 2 seconds of the polyrhythm sound cool, like a forest in the rain, but the type of rain where there's still sun beams entering through the cracks in the clouds

  • @oneirdaathnaram1376
    @oneirdaathnaram1376 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I think it is so nice when someone combines math with art ...
    It makes the whole concept much more understandable.
    What a great, inspiring playing around that is!
    Thank you so much. A true inspiration.

  • @adissentingopinion848
    @adissentingopinion848 ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Come on man, we need the speedcore and extratone version! I wanna hear the extratone of a 1000bpm 2:3:5:7 polyrhythm!

  • @Patrick-gm3fb
    @Patrick-gm3fb ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I watch both alot of math and alot of music theory videos and I absolutely love when TH-cam recognizes the intersection between the two and recommends videos like this one. Thank you for creating this awesome video.

  • @inciaradible7144
    @inciaradible7144 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    This is really cool! Considering there's sort of an upper and lower bound at which rhythm breaks down as far as human perception is concerned (I think the lower bound is around 33 bpm), you can choose to simply work with a finite number of primes and create a lot of different arrangements.

  • @torydavis10
    @torydavis10 ปีที่แล้ว +114

    I'm super curious just how terrible (or not?) it would sound to invert the entire rhythmic scheme and interpret 2 as 1/2 note, 3 as 1/3 note , 5 as 1/5th note etc, or 2BMP, 3BMP, 5BPM, same thing, just different abuses of notation. There's the downside that you have to decide how deep to take your recursion ahead of time and then rescale your playback speed to make sense for how deep you went, rather than just adding in parts until it's a mess and stopping, but has the potentially interesting advantage that you can go arbitrarily deep and still have all the cycles line up in a finite amount of time. Also, it would actually be a polyrhythm instead of a polymeter ;-) (for the record of course polymeter>>polyrhythm, I'm just pedantically teasing)

    • @burkhardstackelberg1203
      @burkhardstackelberg1203 ปีที่แล้ว +11

      If you play this rhythm fast enough, it becomes a sound. An overtone series with just the primes resembles a lot a clarinet - except there is the 2nd partiaö, and the 1st missing (as well as all non-primes).

    • @15minutegaming32
      @15minutegaming32 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      not necessarily the same thing because then you'd just get infinite per unit time because of so many primes?

    • @torydavis10
      @torydavis10 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      and this video did not run until the heat death of the universe, so what?

    • @torydavis10
      @torydavis10 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@burkhardstackelberg1203 I never would have guessed that would sound like a clarinet, but somehow it makes sense.

    • @15minutegaming32
      @15minutegaming32 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@torydavis10 But you have to represent something infinitessimally close to the start
      while not having to run the video until the heat death of the universe self-corrects because the really big primes don't have to be represented before the heat death of the universe and would be represented at its own pace.
      While for this the really big primes would have to be represented incredibly quickly.
      With that said, it would be really interesting to try this with the first n primes (with n being a finite number)

  • @dreammix9430
    @dreammix9430 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is so very cool! Thank you for this great information and well presented. Fascinating

  • @sabinudas5395
    @sabinudas5395 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    after browsing through so many channels. Yours is by far the best. The explaining thod is so great and detailed even complex stuff is

  • @winteringgoose
    @winteringgoose ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Many years ago I had much the same idea, and made a song out of the first 17 primes running through their rhythm for a few minutes. I then had a musician friend choose samples for the soundscape. The end result was less about the rhythm of the primes, and more an evolving soundscape with a difficult-to-define rhythmic pace, but it was a fun project!

  • @Marcus001
    @Marcus001 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    This truly is some Prime music

  • @AA-gl1dr
    @AA-gl1dr ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love this thank you so much for uploading. Absolutely beautiful.
    I’m not good with written numbers but I love music. Content like this helps bridge my understanding and is so valuable to me.

  • @gabrielgonzalez1993
    @gabrielgonzalez1993 ปีที่แล้ว

    I have no words to describe how much I love this. Thank you so much!!!

  • @macronencer
    @macronencer ปีที่แล้ว +30

    For a few years now I've been planning to make an album of electronic music using ideas from maths (I'm a maths grad working in software, but music is one of my passions). I've recently finished putting together my studio in a new home, and I'm beginning to work on the ideas, so this is truly inspiring for me. Thank you!

    • @quinnherden
      @quinnherden ปีที่แล้ว +1

      You may enjoy reading Haskell school of music, if not already familiar

    • @macronencer
      @macronencer ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@quinnherden Thanks for the tip! I'm aware of Haskell but have never used it. I've added the book to my shopping list :)

    • @quinnherden
      @quinnherden ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@macronencer Sweet! Just subscribed~ I look forward to a potential update

  • @DJCornelis
    @DJCornelis ปีที่แล้ว +4

    I'd love to turn this prime polyrhythms section into a full piece of music! Feels kinda like a 7/8 or 11/8 measure, Love it!

  • @EnrichedPu
    @EnrichedPu ปีที่แล้ว

    I love this!! Thank you for the clear explanations and for showing us the outcome! Nice!

  • @eliyahgemstone7505
    @eliyahgemstone7505 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This is a wonderful way to learn about primes. Lovely idea to put math to music.

  • @DavidsonPaulo
    @DavidsonPaulo ปีที่แล้ว +11

    This is the rhythm of the primes
    The primes
    Oh yeah
    The rhythm of the primes
    This is the rhythm of my life
    My life
    Oh yeah
    The rhythm of the primes

    • @DoctorNemmo
      @DoctorNemmo ปีที่แล้ว

      Gee, sorry, I made the same joke two days later

    • @madison072
      @madison072 ปีที่แล้ว

      8 months later and I thought I was a genius for coming up with this too. 😅

  • @cemacmillan
    @cemacmillan ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Thank you for explaining the threeness I hear, when I've caught it in my own experiments I thought it was
    simple bias. Funny thing, when the primes were speeded up with percussion in one of the last samples
    I perceived an almost horizontal and equal three-based pattern which simply kept emerging in a new
    timbral space, which seems independent of remainder of three rule. I also imagine I hear an accelerating
    clave, sometimes swapping polarity between 5:3 and 3:5 which I guess is a consequence of remainder
    distribution too.
    Excellent video!

  • @renmacrae5924
    @renmacrae5924 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I've listened to so much microtonal music that I just plain enjoy this polyrhythm

  • @Punch_Rockgroin
    @Punch_Rockgroin ปีที่แล้ว

    Very well done. Videos like this are refreshing to see on a site rife with silliness.

  • @hasanaljamea2569
    @hasanaljamea2569 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Mapping notes to primes gaps would be neat. Especially you won't run out of notes quickly

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +8

      This is an *excellent* idea -- I love it! I think I'll probably try it

  • @niebl
    @niebl ปีที่แล้ว +3

    5:23 This part is hilarious

  • @fenderbenderspecial
    @fenderbenderspecial ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was rad. Really well done on a fascinating topic. As a software developer, physicist, and musician this was a very fun exploration of primes.

  • @BryanPike
    @BryanPike ปีที่แล้ว

    Such a wonderous project!

  • @TimothyLowYK
    @TimothyLowYK ปีที่แล้ว +23

    Woa! Reminds of something Sevish would compose. Great video! c:
    Side note: There's a cool lecture by Adam Neely where he showed that speeding up polyrhythms until the beats are like frequencies would result in intervals! so a 3,4,5 polyrhythm would make something like a major triad when sped up incredibly fast

    • @joshuavadas
      @joshuavadas ปีที่แล้ว +5

      I was looking through the comments for someone else who thought of this. I want to hear this sequence represented as a tone. Play the "2" rhythm at some audible frequency (>20Hz). I presume the resulting sound would start as a recognizable pitch but dissolve into noise fairly quickly.

  • @JulioHerrlein
    @JulioHerrlein ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Very cool video ! Thanks

  • @brian-classic
    @brian-classic ปีที่แล้ว

    This is brilliant. Wonderful.

  • @G8tr1522
    @G8tr1522 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I cannot describe how satisfying it was to watch this. Bravo.

  • @MadofaA
    @MadofaA ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This is way more interesting musically than most contemporary music….

  • @devinandrewcollins
    @devinandrewcollins ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I experimented for a bit with using the squares of primes as tempo markings and coming up with metric/tempo modulations to attempt to create seamless transitions. One thing I wish I could do is a synchronization experiment with a prime number of mechanical metronomes set to prime BPMs. I'd like to see what BPM they synchronize to.

  • @dkirson609
    @dkirson609 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was outstanding. Thank you!

  • @OdysseusRex
    @OdysseusRex ปีที่แล้ว

    This was fascinating, Marc. Thank you!

  • @Scratchfan321
    @Scratchfan321 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    This has successfully explained to me how a prime sieve works.

  • @KalebPeters99
    @KalebPeters99 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    This was so fascinating! I wonder if you would try speeding up the sequence even further to the point where the frequency ratios would build a chord?

  • @jannesvanquaillie9151
    @jannesvanquaillie9151 ปีที่แล้ว

    I love ❤️ your creativity with math and music

  • @ketsu45dub
    @ketsu45dub ปีที่แล้ว

    Returning here 2 years after I first saw the video, I realised just now how much I have learnt. I am so grateful for your channel, everytNice tutorialng

  • @DiamondSane
    @DiamondSane ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Sounds microtonal, I adore this.

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +10

      It is microtonal! The inverted harmonic series is interesting though, because it still has a lot of pure intervals

  • @zacharybigger4144
    @zacharybigger4144 ปีที่แล้ว +12

    I actually really like this visual representation of successive primes, because it demonstrates a trend, if not a pattern. If there were a pattern, we'd be able to codify it into an equation to find the next prime. But our insane pattern recognition abilities see this and automatically say "dude see??? There's totally a pattern!!"

  • @rxotmfrxotmf8208
    @rxotmfrxotmf8208 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Beautiful video, and strangely pleasing to the year. Well done!

  • @Songwriter376
    @Songwriter376 ปีที่แล้ว

    Absolutely fascinating.

  • @WormAteWords
    @WormAteWords ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Have you considered making a mapping that is calculated modulo some frequency? so that if a prime's frequency would be below a certain threshold, the value "wraps around" back to the difference between the threshold and the frequency? This would allow you to play your music indefinitely without going so low that the value is inaudible.

  • @tensixtyoclock
    @tensixtyoclock ปีที่แล้ว +4

    4:26 math jumpscare

  • @MRegah
    @MRegah ปีที่แล้ว

    Mesmerizing. And very clever. Thank you!

  • @jeremyvanallen1530
    @jeremyvanallen1530 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I have to say I found this absolutely fascinating. Sound with numbers genius.

  • @DominoChallenge
    @DominoChallenge ปีที่แล้ว +11

    Wow, I just stumbled upon this video, and that's amazing! I always loved bridges between music and maths!
    Would it be possible to have a long version of this song on your channel?

    • @marcevanstein
      @marcevanstein  ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Good idea --- I'll try to put one together! I was thinking of maybe also including a downloadable link to a midi file, in case people wanted to play with it

    • @DominoChallenge
      @DominoChallenge ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@marcevanstein That sounds great, I won't miss that!

  • @fotgjengeren
    @fotgjengeren ปีที่แล้ว

    I’ve used prime number polymeters quite frequently recently but never took a step back to think about some inherent properties of them. Thanks for the video!

  • @minjyi
    @minjyi ปีที่แล้ว

    Kudos man. You kept it very simple and helped make the first steps in soft soft. Very Helpfull! Thanks!

  • @markusheler2762
    @markusheler2762 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Wow, as far as hear and see, I wonder what it would sound like when playing the full prime-(factor) spectrum, i.e. at beat 102 the triad (2,3,17) in equal volume distribution 1:1:1. Would it be harmonic or catastrophic for the ear? At wich speed?

  • @itsdonaldo
    @itsdonaldo ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I always wanted to hear base 12 PI mapped into chromatic scale.

  • @acdettwiller
    @acdettwiller ปีที่แล้ว

    it starts to sound eerie in a beautiful way as it goes

  • @susanray8359
    @susanray8359 ปีที่แล้ว

    This got me way too excited considering it is almost 1:30 a.m.! Thank you, this was beautiful!

  • @Rudxain
    @Rudxain ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Ok but what if we used other sequences of numbers and a different mapping algorithm? What about Fibonacci/Lucas numbers? triangulars, factorials, Van Eck?
    Good video though! I'm not complaining, I was just being curious

    • @DrDeuteron
      @DrDeuteron ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Fibonacci's tend to the golden ratio, which is the *most* irrational number there is (phi = 1 + 1/(1 + 1/(1 + 1/(1 +......
      and that would be maximally dissonant.

    • @Rudxain
      @Rudxain ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@DrDeuteron It depends on how its sound is represented, and the mapping algorithm. But I guess you're pretty much right

  • @StraightEdgeHippie
    @StraightEdgeHippie ปีที่แล้ว +3

    What program did you use to make this? Because I'm doing a whole lot of CTL+C CTL+V in Cakewalk to make my variations.
    My theory has been that each prime number (P) follows the same rule. Starting at a high note, every time (P) reaches a new factor (^n), it plays the highest note. The tones go down the scale as (P^n-x) where n-x is greater than 0.
    This results in lower primes kind of crawling off of the song the longer it goes. If we follow this approach using the A minor pentatonic scale;
    P^n-0 = A7
    P^n-1 = G7
    P^n-2 = E7
    P^n-3 = D7
    P^n-4 = C7
    P^n-5 = A6
    ...
    So the first time you hear the note A6 is at number 66, because 64=2^(6) and 66=2^(6-5)*11^(1-0).
    I ran this with the numbers 2,3,5,7, & 11 and got this: drive.google.com/file/d/1-YIUfIMMKZDjd3G_cjUr_0c9ng_OkfgB/view?usp=drivesdk
    The half way mark is wicked satisfying 😩

    • @christopherrice891
      @christopherrice891 ปีที่แล้ว

      I need help writing out the Math patterns for the prime numbers. May i please have your assistance doing this?

    • @StraightEdgeHippie
      @StraightEdgeHippie ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@christopherrice891 I might not understand your question, but I'm afraid I'm the wrong guy to ask. I only have a passing knowledge of number theory, no working knowledge.

  • @brutaltijuana
    @brutaltijuana ปีที่แล้ว

    wow! What a genius, just the analysis is amazing but yet the representation of the concept and the animations and everything else is also amazing. Congrats!

  • @kmwwrench
    @kmwwrench ปีที่แล้ว +2

    At the risk of sounding like my far distant teenage self - this is so cool. It combines several of my favorite things: math, music, design, and color. I may become addicted to watching it over and over. Thanks for making my day!

  • @aylen7062
    @aylen7062 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    5:09 8000 Hz / 12 does not equal 333 Hz;

    • @manioqqqq
      @manioqqqq ปีที่แล้ว

      He meant 4000Hz

  • @AndyChamberlainMusic
    @AndyChamberlainMusic ปีที่แล้ว +8

    its misleading to call this a polyrhythm, especially when you are letting it go to infinity
    this is more accurately a polymeter: different sized cycles on the same size subdivision. A polyrhythm is different sized subdivisions with one shared cycle length.
    Any finite polymeter is also a polyrhythm, but the cycle length of that polyrhythm is the least common multiple of all the parts; in the 2:3:5:7 example towards the beginning of this video for instance, you didn't even get close to playing a full cycle of the polyrhythm, as that'd be 210 subdivisions.
    So, what appears to be the 2 of the infinite polyrhythm is actually the 2 of the polymeter; the rhythm that has 2 evenly spaced hits over the full cycle length is... well, infinite.
    you're not technically wrong to call it an "infinite polyrhythm" in the sense that the cycle length is infinite, but I am sure this has made some people think that polyrhythm is polymeter
    I find polymeter often more musically useful, and I don't want to detract from the cool math here, but polyrhythm just isnt the right musical term

  • @str8_krillin_it470
    @str8_krillin_it470 ปีที่แล้ว

    Absolutely fascinating video

  • @aramarakelyan5712
    @aramarakelyan5712 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I love this video, very beautiful!

  • @QuinSexton
    @QuinSexton ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Incredible production quality!

  • @theylhompst
    @theylhompst ปีที่แล้ว +2

    This is a really, really creative proof of Euclid's Lemma.

  • @lumotroph
    @lumotroph ปีที่แล้ว

    That was brilliant. Thank you!

  • @PowerhouseCell
    @PowerhouseCell ปีที่แล้ว +1

    This was so beautiful! I can't believe I just found your channel - as a video creator myself, I understand how much time this must have taken. Liked and subscribed 💛

  • @RyanBrackett
    @RyanBrackett ปีที่แล้ว

    This is exceptional. The long mapping looks like an ocean at perspective.

  • @AdamArrSquared
    @AdamArrSquared ปีที่แล้ว

    What a fantastic video. Thank you!

  • @crasher88
    @crasher88 ปีที่แล้ว

    one hand very eerie and unearthly sounding but on the other hand very interesting and unique sound

  • @MarcCastellsBallesta
    @MarcCastellsBallesta ปีที่แล้ว

    I have to teach the prime numbers to my students. So thanks for letting me know about this Erathostenes method!

  • @Q3shara
    @Q3shara ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I really like all the different scales and tempi you used for the prime numbers. I couldn't help thinking this could easily be a theoretical example to demonstrate synaethesia. Although there are some more prevalent forms of synaesthesia, practically any combination of sensory substitution is possible. I like to imagine hearing colours or numbers, tasting or smelling colors, feeling the texture of temperature etc.
    Most people goosebump or shiver in response to a sudden or prolonged decrease in temperature. These responses can also be elicted by shock, fear, horror, awe and other emotions which may also be evoked by touch, sound and music etc. Whilst it is still a response to temperature change, I occasionally goosebump and shiver when going from a relatively warm to very hot environment. Usually this occurs when going from outdoors, on a day warm enough in direct sunlight for me to enjoy being in the shade or maybe find a cool breeze, then getting into a car with no air conditioning that has been in full sun for a while. I also fall into the minority of people with a photic sneeze reflex; we really aren't all wired the same.

  • @guymross
    @guymross ปีที่แล้ว

    Brilliantly done thank you

  • @cd-zw2tt
    @cd-zw2tt ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I love how you can hear new twin or close primes when you hear two new drums in close succession

  • @Georgia-Vic
    @Georgia-Vic ปีที่แล้ว

    Truly Amazing video...Bravo Guys!👏

  • @jravell
    @jravell ปีที่แล้ว

    I like the way those rhythms sound!

  • @stevemogan5384
    @stevemogan5384 ปีที่แล้ว

    Fascinating, thanks.

  • @Maris_Hvidt
    @Maris_Hvidt ปีที่แล้ว

    Thank you very much for sharing.

  • @joaocorreia524
    @joaocorreia524 ปีที่แล้ว

    Im going to think about this video for a long time, really gave me lots of ideas