3:7

expert · LCM = 21

Three against seven — one of the most dissonant common ratios.

Pattern — 21 subdivisions per cycle

● Layer A (3)● Layer B (7)● Both
3:7
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BPM80

Mute one layer to focus on the other. LCM = 21 subdivisions per cycle.

About 3:7

3:7 creates an LCM of 21 with 10 distinct attack points. The 3 and 7 layers feel almost completely independent until they converge at the end of the 21-subdivision cycle. This is the territory of advanced notation-based composition rather than improvisation.

LCM of 3 and 7 is 21 subdivisions per cycle.

Examples in music

Spectral Music

Murail / Grisey

Ratio-derived time structures