1234567654321
123456654321
12345654321
1234554321
123454321
12344321
1234321
123321
12321
1221
121
1

Using my trusty Akai Headrush pedal, I set up a loop of about two seconds and then add layers going up the harmonic series (the notes one gets from splitting a string in half, thirds, etc.) and dividing the bar into the corresponding fraction. I speak the above pattern of numbers so that the whole thing stays symmetrical (the extra "1" on the end of each line is just for looks!)

The first loop is one in a bar on the tonic (very low... using ventricular fold phonation!): "1"
The second loop is two in a bar up an octave: "12"
3 (in a bar). Octave + a 5th: "122"
4. 2 Octaves: "1232"
5. 2 Octaves + a maj 3rd*: "12332"
6. 2 Octaves + a 5th*: "123432"
7. 2 Octaves + a min 7th*: "1234432"
8. 3 Octaves: "12345432"
9. 3 Octaves + a 2nd*: "123455432"
10. 3 Octaves + a 3rd*: "1234565432"
11. 3 Octaves + a sharp 4th*: "12345665432"
12. 3 Octaves + a 5th*: "123456765432"

*The intervals are "just" or "harmonic" intervals (those you get naturally by dividing a string into fractions). The reinforcing of octaves makes all sorts of nice stuff come out of it. (i.e. 5 in a bar and 10 in a bar are both major 3rds). Make sense? Hope so!

This is what it looks like in Protools (recording software)... pretty, eh!

My maths friends tell me it's like a musical version of a Fourier Transform, which is breaking down a wave form to its constituent sin waves: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourier_transform .
It has become the basis of my song Harmonics, from my nerdy musical, Notey and Noisy: A Sound Science Mathemusical
, a demo of which can be heard here: http://malwebb.com/HarmonicsMalKyDemo.mp3
But in 2019, I was first shown the Risset Rhythm and quickly realised I could use it to create another angle on my triangle, which I called Risset/Shepard/Harmonic https://youtu.be/2otKFo79Je0 , which itself turned into a song, Home Sweet Homeostasis.  

©Mal Webb 2003