This article proposes a scientific theory of music, focusing on harmony, by integrating physical and computational phenomena. It aims to explain how music works in a manner understandable to both scientists and the general public. The approach considers how machines, like the human brain, process sound.

The theory derives three fundamental musical phenomena: the Major Scale, the Standard Chord Dictionary, and the difference in feeling between Major and Minor Triads. While the Major Scale has been independently derived before, the derivations of the Chord Dictionary and the Major/Minor triad feeling are presented as original contributions.

The author critiques the prevailing authority, Hermann Helmholtz, whose 19th-century theory suggested notes are in "concord" because they sound "less worse" together. The article argues this implies harmony would not exist, as single notes would be most harmonious. The text is written in a plain, conversational style to be accessible to musicians and the public.