If tonic is C; Major uses E; minor uses Eb. [Scale, gamut, mode, tonerow, ptichgroup, tetrad, maqam, interval, scl, mtx, tun, ana, ..............>]

1. Thank you to all the posters who responded to my (last week) posting about Major/minor scale naming. The results of this experiment seem to confirm my suspicion that using more names and words to describe scales only confuses the situation further.

If our aim is precision in scale definition maybe a numerical ScaleCoding system really is the best way to go. It removes all the language, religious, cultural and historical biases of the traditional names, and numerically exposes the potential harmonic structure.

From my experience, when faced by a new (to me) piece of music and attempting to analyse the pitches used and the scale structure, it is sometimes difficult to determine which note should be considered as the tonic.

When this arises I usually find that the tonic candidates are separated by one or two steps on the circle/spiral of fourths/fifths.

2. I have noticed a further underlying pattern which exposes how this minor confusion may have evolved.

Consider this chain of fifths/fourths

(Gb-Db-Ab-Eb-Bb-F-C-G-D-A-E-B-F#-C#)

Let's assume that our tonic is C.

If we are to consider this scale to be minor we need use Eb in it. (from the Music Theory 101 flat third definition).

That requires a note which is three steps to the left (fourthwards - (newword?;-) from the tonic of C.

This results in our chain of notes including at least Eb-Bb-F-C. (although Bb and F may not be used)

Some theorists would claim that scales from C which contain Db, Ab, Eb, or Bb are also minor.

Maybe what these theorists are really saying is that the scale includes notes 2 or more steps to the left (fourthwards) of the tonic.

Assuming my claim that contiguous notes on the spiral/circle are more "harmonious/consonant" than the more distant notes,
it is likely that those wishing to make pleasing music would chose other adjacent notes on the chain to construct their scales.

For more info/references/thoughts on this subject see:

http://www.lucytune.com/new_to_lt/pitch_05.html
http://www.lucytune.com/new_to_lt/lucytuning_scales.html
http://www.lucytune.com/new_to_lt/recipe.html

Charles Lucy - lucy@harmonics.com
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