In perfumery, a top note is a volatile odorant that evaporates very quickly. Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, objects, and living spaces a pleasant smell. ... JUNIOR Odor receptors on the antennae of a Luna moth An odor (American English) or odour (Commonwealth English) is the object of perception of the sense of olfaction. ... Evaporation is the process whereby atoms or molecules in a liquid state (or solid state if the substance sublimes) gain sufficient energy to enter the gaseous state. ...
Fragrant materials listed in order of volatility. The perfume is grouped under respective evaporation coefficients (perfume notes) that range from 1 to 100. In perfumery, a base note (pronounced like the musical term bass note) is a class of odorants that evaporates very slowly and are typically not perceived until perfume drydown. ...
Top Notes: 1 to 14 (most volatile) Middle Notes: 15 to 60 Base Notes: 61 to 100 (least volatile)
References: Poucher's Perfumes, Cosmetics and Soaps. Vol 2 Ninth Edition.Poucher
From the topnote downwards, it consists of a major third followed by three perfect fourths, and is identical to the standard tuning of a guitar minus the top E. It can also be thought of as a five-note Quartal chord with the topnote lowered by a semitone.
It is an effective voicing for a minor 11th chord, where the topnote forms the fifth of the chord.
It can also be used as a Δ+4 chord if a bass note is used that is a tritone away from the topnote, or as a simple Δ chord if the bass note is a major seventh away from the topnote.