Since we’ve been looking at the chromatic scale a lot lately, maybe it would be nice to stop for a moment and take a little quiz. That way, we can stretch our hands, rub our eyes, and think about something else for a change. After all, we don’t want to go crazy, do we? What if we even started dreaming about the chromatic scale at night?
So, anyway, here’s the question: can you name this island? You have 30 seconds to answer, starting ………… now.
Okay, time’s up. And I have to say—if you guessed correctly, I’m impressed. You’re looking at a satellite photo of an island in Greece called “Samos.” Just off the coast of Asia Minor, in the North Agean sea, Samos is about 27 miles long and 8 miles wide (or 43 kilometers by 13 kilometers). The geography is mostly mountainous and a lot of the land is covered by vineyards.
Tourism is pretty big here for a couple of reasons. First, it’s beautiful … seriously. Second, it has a very cool history. In ancient Greek times, Samos was a center of Ionian culture and luxury. So there’s a lot to see here. And third, it’s the hometown of our old friend, Pythagoras. You know, the guy who … developed the chromatic scale.
Wait a minute—there’s the chromatic scale again! Maybe we really will start dreaming about this note pattern. It seems like we can’t escape it … the chromatic scale is everywhere.
Anyway, it’s cool to imagine Pythagoras looking out over these hills thinking about music and how it all works. He definitely was on to something. And, the truth is, so are we. Only, we have a huge advantage. With Color Music, we can actually see sound … so, for us, it’s much smoother sailing from here.