Post #4045462
2026-07-23 10:37 UTC
Here’s a little #musictheory observation I made recently.
First some set up: there are essentially only two generators of the 12 tone scale: m2 (minor second) and P5 (perfect fifth). By “generator” I mean you get all 12 notes by repeatedly moving up by those intervals. Repeat m2 gets you the chromatic scale C Db D Eb …; and P5 gives the circle of 5ths: C G D A ….
Put these side by side and you get (C,C), (Db,G), (D,D), (Eb,A)… so unison, tritone, unison, tritone, …
Tension and release!
Replies (2)
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@johntimaeus@infosec.exchange 2026-07-23 21:54
@mdreid@mastodon.social Suddenly feeling like I should use this for a couple of irish-ish tunes.
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@mdreid@mastodon.social 2026-07-23 10:37
Some additional thoughts and clarification: I said m2 and P5 are “essentially” the only two generators because the other two are M7 (major 7th), which is just an m2 step down, and P4 (perfect 4th) which is just a P5 step down. All the other intervals generate symmetric families of scales: - M2/m7 give the two 6-note whole tone scales; - m3/M6 give the three 4-note diminished scales; - and M3/m6 give the four 3-note augmented scales.