The Devil Is In The Details - A new link to the golden ratio

[I love onQUE]

"The Devil Is In The Details' has a riff that was designed to imitate a specific well-known equation, but in musical terms."

Lots of us know that the ratio between the frequencies of the bass and melody notes in the song is the golden ratio (=1.618...) (which happens to be roughly an octave and a major sixth).
But why did BoC use the golden ratio for this song? I think I've found the answer:

Let's take a pentagram (the symbol of the devil! :O)



The ratio between the red line to the green line is the golden ratio.
As is the ratio between the green side and the blue side.
And the ratio between the blue side and the magenta side!

The golden ratio is everywhere!
(The pentagram is the only star polygon which has this property I believe)

This fits the albums themes of maths, numerology and satanism/the occult, and it explains why BoC used this ratio for this song!


The devil really is in the details I guess

[Reference and maths here for those interested]

[Torn n Frayed]

An inverted pentagram is evil, the one you have isn't, from your wiki link;

The pentagram was used in ancient times as a Christian symbol for the five senses,[11] or of the five wounds of Christ. A Christian use of the pentangle occurs in the 14th-century English poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, in which the symbol decorates the shield of the hero, Gawain. The unnamed poet credits the symbol's origin to King Solomon, and says the symbol is key to understanding the work. The poet explains that each of the five interconnected points represents a virtue tied to a group of five. Gawain is keen in his five senses, dextrous in his five fingers, faithful to the salvation provided through the Five Wounds of Christ, takes courage from the five joys that Mary had of Jesus, and exemplifies the five virtues of knighthood.[12]

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa and others perpetuated the popularity of the pentagram as a magic symbol, attributing the five neoplatonic elements to the five points, in typical Renaissance fashion. By the mid-19th century a further distinction had developed amongst occultists regarding the pentagram's orientation. With a single point upwards it depicted spirit presiding over the four elements of matter, and was essentially "good". However, the influential writer Eliphas Levi called it evil whenever the symbol appeared the other way up.

"A reversed pentagram, with two points projecting upwards, is a symbol of evil and attracts sinister forces because it overturns the proper order of things and demonstrates the triumph of matter over spirit. It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns, a sign execrated by initiates."[13]
"The flaming star, which, when turned upside down, is the hierolgyphic [sic] sign of the goat of Black Magic, whose head may be drawn in the star, the two horns at the top, the ears to the right and left, the beard at the bottom. It is the sign of antagonism and fatality. It is the goat of lust attacking the heavens with its horns."[14]

[I love onQUE]

[Stavorius]

An inverted pentagram is evil, the one you have isn't, from your wiki link;

Favorite thing to do during Christmas time; seeing who accidentally hung up an inverted pentagram.

[rick7487]

"The Devil Is In The Details' has a riff that was designed to imitate a specific well-known equation, but in musical terms."

Lots of us know that the ratio between the frequencies of the bass and melody notes in the song is the golden ratio (=1.618...) (which happens to be roughly an octave and a major sixth).
But why did BoC use the golden ratio for this song? I think I've found the answer:

Let's take a pentagram (the symbol of the devil! :O)



The ratio between the red line to the green line is the golden ratio.
As is the ratio between the green side and the blue side.
And the ratio between the blue side and the magenta side!

The golden ratio is everywhere!
(The pentagram is the only star polygon which has this property I believe)

This fits the albums themes of maths, numerology and satanism/the occult, and it explains why BoC used this ratio for this song!


The devil really is in the details I guess

[Reference and maths here for those interested]

That explains why the album is on five sides and not six.

[cubistking1906]

I've had a lot of fun with slowing down Geogaddi on the turntable to a percentage based on the golden ratio. Sounded pretty amazing actually.

Most turntables go at least 8% slower/faster, so a golden ratio percentage within that range would be:

(0.618... * 0.618... * 0.618... * 0.618... * 0.618... * 0.618...) = (0.618)^6 = - 5.572809 % slower than the regular 33.3 rpm speed.

So basically set your turntable to -5.57 % and let the fun begin.

Also -3.44 % ((0.618...)^7) is the next golden ratio percentage in that range if you really like multi-speed Geogaddi, I know I do.

[Gates Of Horn And Ivory]

Lots of us know that the ratio between the frequencies of the bass and melody notes in the song is the golden ratio (=1.618...) (which happens to be roughly an octave and a major sixth).

No, the pitch ratio of an octave and a major sixth is 3.363.

[ShaneAnthony]

this obsessive boc thinking has gotten out of hand. their subject matter deals more along the lines of climate change, and the devestating impacts fossil fuels have had on our environment.

[ParticleGhost]

this obsessive boc thinking has gotten out of hand. their subject matter deals more along the lines of climate change, and the devestating impacts fossil fuels have had on our environment.

wrong thread?

[niceeagle]

this obsessive boc thinking has gotten out of hand. their subject matter deals more along the lines of climate change, and the devestating impacts fossil fuels have had on our environment.

i'm pretty sure they enjoy their listeners analyzing their music from a mathematical perspective, as they've said in lots of interviews. i wouldn't say it's "gotten out of hand".

[ShaneAnthony]

this obsessive boc thinking has gotten out of hand. their subject matter deals more along the lines of climate change, and the devestating impacts fossil fuels have had on our environment.

i'm pretty sure they enjoy their listeners analyzing their music from a mathematical perspective, as they've said in lots of interviews. i wouldn't say it's "gotten out of hand".

you were at the th listening party, how was that?

[niceeagle]

you were at the th listening party, how was that?

it was beautiful. also it was the first time i'd heard any BOC material on loudspeakers rather than headphones or studio monitors, so it was exciting to experience the vibe in that context. the barren desert environment fit the vibe perfectly, I don't think it was random that they chose to have it where they had it. i remember when we got there, the groundskeeper was out in front and when people asked him what was going on (since none of us knew what actually was going to occur) he said something along the lines of "some big rock band is playing their new record for everyone!"

[arvy]

this obsessive boc thinking has gotten out of hand. their subject matter deals more along the lines of climate change, and the devestating impacts fossil fuels have had on our environment.

i'm pretty sure they enjoy their listeners analyzing their music from a mathematical perspective, as they've said in lots of interviews. i wouldn't say it's "gotten out of hand".

how do you think, are they enjoy that some of their listeners analyzing their music from philosophical or just from their own point of perspective, are they possibly, annoyed by just talks too much ?

[Nottoolate]

"some big rock band is playing their new record for everyone!"

That's adorable

[tonx]

you were at the th listening party, how was that?

it was beautiful. also it was the first time i'd heard any BOC material on loudspeakers rather than headphones or studio monitors, so it was exciting to experience the vibe in that context. the barren desert environment fit the vibe perfectly, I don't think it was random that they chose to have it where they had it. i remember when we got there, the groundskeeper was out in front and when people asked him what was going on (since none of us knew what actually was going to occur) he said something along the lines of "some big rock band is playing their new record for everyone!"

I ran into that guy too... I told him I was with the band

I have vivid memories of that whole day (and pangs of guilt that my livestream may have upset some people). If I was ever fortunate enough to come across some unreleased BoC [unlikely, but my offer of a $500 bounty for each early lost album still stands btw] I think I'd announce a listening party at the water park before leaking it, just for the nostalgia.