Musical chords have a non-Euclidean geometry that has been exploited by
Western composers in many different styles.
A musical chord can be represented as a point in a geometrical space called an
orbifold. Line segments represent mappings from the notes of one chord to those
of another. Composers in a wide range of styles have exploited the non-Euclidean
geometry of these spaces, typically by utilizing short line segments between
structurally similar chords. Such line segments exist only when chords are nearly
symmetrical under translation, reflection, or permutation. Paradigmatically
consonant and dissonant chords possess different near-symmetries, and suggest
different musical uses.