http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_(music)

This has a distinction, which makes no sense to me,
between "synthetic" scales such as octotonic or diminished scales and
major and minor diatonic and even the whole-tone scale.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <gwsmith@s...>
wrote:
> This has a distinction, which makes no sense to me,
> between "synthetic" scales such as octotonic or diminished scales
and
> major and minor diatonic and even the whole-tone scale.

"Whole-tone" is considered a synthetic scale in most music texts.

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "wallyesterpaulrus" <paul@s...> wrote:
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <gwsmith@s...>
> wrote:
> > This has a distinction, which makes no sense to me,
> > between "synthetic" scales such as octotonic or diminished scales
> and
> > major and minor diatonic and even the whole-tone scale.
>
> "Whole-tone" is considered a synthetic scale in most music texts.

But what does it mean?

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <gwsmith@s...> wrote:
> --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "wallyesterpaulrus" <paul@s...>
wrote:
> > --- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, "Gene Ward Smith" <gwsmith@s...>
> > wrote:
> > > This has a distinction, which makes no sense to me,
> > > between "synthetic" scales such as octotonic or diminished
scales
> > and
> > > major and minor diatonic and even the whole-tone scale.
> >
> > "Whole-tone" is considered a synthetic scale in most music texts.
>
> But what does it mean?

These "synthetic" scales were "made up" by composers around the turn
of the last century; they weren't found in any "traditional"
or "folk" music, but have certainly found a place in jazz, for
instance . . .