Two harmonic overtone poems
Please enjoy the pair of poems each generated by our favorite large language model.
Hi ChatGPT, can you explain the harmonic overtone series? Can you format the explanation to groupings of exactly 8 syllable phrases?
Every note has a base,
Called its "fundamental".
It's not alone, we trace
Overtones incidental.
When a string does shake,
It forms a sine wave whole.
It splits, small waves partake,
Each part plays its role.
First overtone doubles,
Fundamental's frequency.
Then tripling rumbles,
Creates a harmony.
These overtones ascend,
In a pattern fixed.
Patterns blend and bend,
In music, they're mixed.
Each tone up the scale,
Adds a new dimension.
A rich harmonic tale,
Beyond initial tension.
First, the octave rings,
Then the perfect fifth.
Fourth, major third brings,
Minor third forthwith.
Thus is nature's song,
In harmonic array.
All notes along belong,
In this overtone play.
Complexity does grow,
With each additional.
And thus the overtones flow,
In order musical.
The explanation and overall structure is good, but can you be more precise with how many syllables are in each line? It should be exactly 8
Every note holds a sound,
We call the base tone.
Yet more tones are found,
Not alone, they've grown.
A string in motion makes,
A pure sine wave form.
But then it breaks,
Small waves the norm.
First tone is twice the base,
This is harmony's trace.
Triple makes the next space,
In this sound embrace.
Rising tones do not cease,
Patterned in a scale.
Harmony does increase,
In this detailed tale.
Tone climbs with added pitch,
Each a new dimension.
Harmony's rich niche,
Draws our attention.
Octave first, then the fifth,
Fourth and third appear.
Through this sound we sift,
Hearing crystal clear.
Nature sings this song,
In tones arrayed.
Each note does belong,
In this music played.
More tones make it complex,
In music's special text.
The harmonic reflex,
Our ears to next perplex.
Written by: Peter Kagstrom, ChatGPT
Thumbnail image generated by Stable Diffusion with prompt:
An abstract minimalist representation of the harmonic overtone series