scale

[UNDER CONSTRUCTION!]

A succession of pitches, generally considered as a source set of pitches for musical composition.

Different types or families of scales are usually characterized by repeating patterns of intervals between the pitches. Scales are usually, but not necessarily, designated only for one "8ve" and considered to be "8ve"-invariant.

As examples, the typical major and minor scales have characteristic interval patterns of "whole-tones" and semitones, usually called "whole-steps" and "half-steps" respectively. pentatonic scales have characteristic interval patterns of "whole-steps" and "minor 3rds", etc.

Scales often, but not always, exhibit tetrachordal similarity, and other properties such as MOS, propriety, maximal evenness, etc.

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updated:

2002.09.27 -- page created

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