why do we listen in "perfect fifths"?...

hi....ok another naive sounding question...

why do we listen in "perfect fifths"?...

ok... so our diatonic system can be explained through fifths.....ie.....major minor....and the other 5 modes are just stacks of fifths. If we restrict ourselves to the white notes on the piano (only for ease of explanation...thinking)... then C to B is the following: F, C, G, D, A, E, B.

I suppose this means that our musical system is based on fifths. If you look at the 2nd, 3rd and 4th partial of the Harmonic series you get a pretty concrete impression that our musical world is governed by fifths (Nr.2...C to Nr.3...G is a fifth............Nr.3..G.....to Nr...4...C... is a fourth which is the inversion of Nr.2...to .... Nr.3).

Now out of this one could come up with the sentence....'we hear in fifths'. But why? It's a bit of a disappointing answer to say.....well it's because of the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th partials in the Harmonic series..

Does anyone have a better answer for why 'we hear in fifths'? Or does anyone think that this hypothesis absolutely wrong is and have a better one to offer?

thanks again! hope i'm not too confusing in my explanation!

best

Peter

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