Innovative 17-note numericalr system and its computational method to identify the effects and psychological states of music scale

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Music school of Kimia-e Honar in Tehran, Iran

Abstract

For centuries, Iranian philosophers and scientists believed that music is related to sciences such as mathematics, the four temperaments of humans, and astronomy; unfortunately, none of them provided explicit rules or mathematical formulations to substantiate their claims. Addressing the gap, this article introduces a 17-note numerical system along with a computational method designed to identifying the psychological effects and emotional states associated with musical scales. New concepts the "innate scale" and "acquired scale" are introduced with their distinctions and applications explored in musical and numerical frameworks. Additionally, the study applies computational techniques and principles of numerical analysis to investigate the primary modes of the 7 Dastgāh system in Classical Persian Music. Although the 17-note system shares interval similarities with the Abjad 18-note system, it differs substantially in numerical valuation, computational methodology, structural efficiency, and systematic approach to application. The findings can be applied to music therapy and theoretical music studies as an innovative, numerically grounded method that offers deeper insights into the psychological attributes of musical scales. The results reveal a significant correlation between the psychological states induced by musical scales and their innate temperament qualities and by identifying the zodiac constellations associated with each scale, the psychological impacts of melodies can be discerned. For instance, analysis of the primary mode in Dastgāh-e Chāhārgāh indicates that feelings of excitement align with the psychological quality of warm and dry. Furthermore, the computational approach revealed Chāhārgāh astrological with Leo, suggesting that its melodies evoke qualities of courage, exhilaration, and radiant joy.

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Main Subjects


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Volume 15, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
September 2026
Pages 171-194
  • Receive Date: 04 June 2025
  • Revise Date: 22 July 2025
  • Accept Date: 02 August 2025
  • Published Online: 02 September 2025