Beginner's guide to scales and tunings - Revision history

ArrowHead294: Copy edit to fix up grammar

2024-08-31T02:12:37Z

Copy edit to fix up grammar

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:12, 31 August 2024
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	Welcome to the world of ~~Xenharmonic~~ music! Here you will find a wealth of information regarding the research and experimentation along with various ideas and theories for different tunings and scales. However, although the information is available to you, it doesn't help you much if you don't understand what the heck you're doing. That's why i've written this nice, little guide here to guide you along your journey in the world of alt-tuned music! The biggest problem people have when they go online to learn about microtonal music is either		Welcome to the world of xenharmonic music! Here you will find a wealth of information regarding the research and experimentation along with various ideas and theories for different tunings and scales. However, although the information is available to you, it doesn't help you much if you don't understand what the heck you're doing. That's why I've written this nice, little guide here to guide you along your journey in the world of alt-tuned music! The biggest problem people have when they go online to learn about microtonal music is either:

	* A. They see a bunch of confusing math which is a bit higher than high school algebra, or		* A. They see a bunch of confusing math which is a bit higher than high school algebra, or
	* B. They see a bunch of theory ideas about ratios and chords that makes no sense.		* B. They see a bunch of theory ideas about ratios and chords that makes no sense.

	While I ~~cannot~~ educate you in the ~~math area~~ as I suck at math myself even though I find higher maths interesting, ~~its~~ not my thing. What is my thing, is music theory, I believe I'm good at seeing the connections, patterns and can simplify those for others who have more trouble. This guide hopefully will tell you everything you need to know about tunings and scales that involves as little ~~as math~~ as necessary. Some ~~obviously~~ will be needed to understand certain principles but this guide mainly focuses on scales and how they are constructed.		While I can't educate you in the mathematics as I suck at math myself even though I find higher maths interesting, it's not my thing. What is my thing, is music theory; I believe I'm good at seeing the connections, patterns, and can simplify those for others who have more trouble. This guide hopefully will tell you everything you need to know about tunings and scales that involves as little maths as necessary. Some maths will be needed to understand certain principles, but this guide mainly focuses on scales and how they are constructed.

	== What you can learn from this guide ==		== What you can learn from this guide ==

	* How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes		* How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes
	* Understand [[generators]] and [[period]]s and how they can be used to build scales		* Understand [[generators]] and [[period]]s and how they can be used to build scales
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	== Basic terminology ==		== Basic terminology ==
	; [[Scale]]		; [[Scale]]
	: a finite row of tones ordered by pitch		: A finite row of tones ordered by pitch.

	; [[Tuning]]		; [[Tuning]]
	: a finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings) Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well		: A finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings). Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well.

	; [[Chord]]		; [[Chord]]
	: a set of [[note]]s acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning		: A set of [[note]]s acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning.

	; [[Equal-step tuning\|Equal temperament]]		; [[Equal-step tuning\|Equal temperament]]
	: a tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart		: A tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart.
	; [[~~Mos~~]]
	: (Moment of symmetry~~) a~~ scale in which every interval comes in two sizes		; [[MOS]]
			: Moment of symmetry—A scale in which every interval comes in two sizes.

	; [[Step]]		; [[Step]]
	: ~~the~~ distance from one note to another		: The distance from one note to another.

	; [[Interval]]		; [[Interval]]
	: A name of a particular distance of one note to another		: A name of a particular distance of one note to another.

	~~What is a scale you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high~~. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word tuning more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''[[octave]]s and [[cent]]s.''

	~~== Cents notation and octaves ==~~

	~~In architecture~~ and ~~construction~~, ~~we have~~ a ~~unit~~ of ~~measurement called length~~. In the ~~microtonal and tuning world~~, we ~~also have a measurement called cents~~. ~~Cents is the measurement~~		''"What is a scale?",'' you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word "tuning" more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''[[octave]]s and [[cent]]s.''

	~~in which~~ we measure the distance from one pitch to another. One cent is exactly ~~100th~~ of ~~the distance between two keys on a piano~~.A ~~half-step~~, the smallest interval in [[12edo\|12 ~~Equal~~]] is exactly 100 cents and this is what we base ~~our~~ interval ~~measurement~~ on. If we know that 100 cents is the distance from one key on a piano to one higher or lower by a half step, then we know that two keys ~~distance~~ is 200 cents ~~right?~~ If we keep going we eventually arrive at 1200 cents. At this point the two notes ~~000~~ cents and 1200 cents from the same note sound identical but one is higher and one is lower. This is what we call the "octave". You might have heard of the term in basic music theory~~; ''~~the name octave comes from the eighth note in a major scale.''		== Cent notation and octaves ==
			In music theory, the way we measure the distance from one pitch to another is through a unit called the ''[[cent]]''. One cent is exactly 1200<sup>th</sup> of an octave. A standard semitone, the smallest interval in [[12edo\|12-tone equal temperament]], is exactly 100 cents (by definition), and this is what we base interval measurements on. If we know that 100 cents is the distance from one key on a piano to one higher or lower by a half step, then we know that the distance between two keys is 200 cents. If we keep going we eventually arrive at 1200 cents. At this point the two notes 0 cents and 1200 cents from the same note sound identical but one is higher and one is lower. This is what we call the "octave". You might have heard of the term in basic music theory, and the name octave comes from the eighth note in a major scale.

	Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.		Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.

	[[Category:Guides]]		[[Category:Guides]]

FloraC: Cleanup

2024-01-09T10:36:10Z

Cleanup

← Older revision		Revision as of 10:36, 9 January 2024
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	Welcome to the world of Xenharmonic music! Here you will find a wealth of information regarding the research and experimentation along with various ideas and theories for different tunings and scales. However, although the information is available to you, it doesn't help you much if you don't understand what the heck you're doing. That's why i've written this nice, little guide here to guide you along your journey in the world of alt-tuned music! The biggest problem people have when they go online to learn about microtonal music is either ~~'''~~A~~'''~~. They see a bunch of confusing math which is a bit higher than high school algebra, or ~~'''~~B.~~'''~~ They see a bunch of theory ideas about ratios and chords that makes no sense. While I cannot educate you in the math area as I suck at math myself even though I find higher maths interesting, its not my thing. What is my thing, is music theory, I believe I'm good at seeing the connections, patterns and can simplify those for others who have more trouble. This guide hopefully will tell you everything you need to know about tunings and scales that involves as little as math as necessary. Some obviously will be needed to understand certain principles but this guide mainly focuses on scales and how they are constructed.		Welcome to the world of Xenharmonic music! Here you will find a wealth of information regarding the research and experimentation along with various ideas and theories for different tunings and scales. However, although the information is available to you, it doesn't help you much if you don't understand what the heck you're doing. That's why i've written this nice, little guide here to guide you along your journey in the world of alt-tuned music! The biggest problem people have when they go online to learn about microtonal music is either
			* A. They see a bunch of confusing math which is a bit higher than high school algebra, or
			* B. They see a bunch of theory ideas about ratios and chords that makes no sense.

	'~~''What~~ you ~~can learn from~~ this guide~~'''~~		While I cannot educate you in the math area as I suck at math myself even though I find higher maths interesting, its not my thing. What is my thing, is music theory, I believe I'm good at seeing the connections, patterns and can simplify those for others who have more trouble. This guide hopefully will tell you everything you need to know about tunings and scales that involves as little as math as necessary. Some obviously will be needed to understand certain principles but this guide mainly focuses on scales and how they are constructed.

	~~<ul><li>'''How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes'''</li><li>'''Understand [[Generators]] and [[period]]s and how they~~ can be used to build scales'''</li><li>'''Learn how [[Just Intonation]] ratios are approximated in a scale'''</li><li>'''Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes'''</li><li>'''Learn how to construct chords from ~~scales'''</li><li>'''much much more! :)'''</li></ul>~~		== What you can learn from this guide ==

	~~='''Basic Terminology'''=~~		* How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes
			* Understand [[generators]] and [[period]]s and how they can be used to build scales
			* Learn how [[just intonation]] ratios are approximated in a scale
			* Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes
			* Learn how to construct chords from scales
			* Much much more! :)

	~~'''~~[[Scale]] - a finite row of tones ordered by pitch~~'''~~		== Basic terminology ==
			; [[Scale]]
	~~'''~~[[Tuning]] - a finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings) Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well~~'''~~		: a finite row of tones ordered by pitch
			; [[Tuning]]
	~~'''~~[[Chord]] - a set of [[note]]s acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning~~'''~~		: a finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings) Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well
			; [[Chord]]
	~~'''~~[[Equal-step tuning\|Equal ~~Temperament~~]] - a tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart~~'''~~		: a set of [[note]]s acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning
			; [[Equal-step tuning\|Equal temperament]]
	~~'''~~[[Mos]] - (Moment of ~~Symmetry~~) a scale in which every interval comes in two sizes~~'''~~		: a tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart
			; [[Mos]]
	~~'''~~[[Step]] - the distance from one note to another~~'''~~		: (Moment of symmetry) a scale in which every interval comes in two sizes
			; [[Step]]
	~~'''~~[[Interval]] - A name of a particular distance of one note to another~~'''~~		: the distance from one note to another
			; [[Interval]]
			: A name of a particular distance of one note to another

	What is a scale you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word tuning more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''[[octave]]s and [[cent]]s.''		What is a scale you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word tuning more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''[[octave]]s and [[cent]]s.''

	=Cents notation and octaves=		== Cents notation and octaves ==

	In architecture and construction, we have a unit of measurement called length. In the microtonal and tuning world, we also have a measurement called cents. Cents is the measurement		In architecture and construction, we have a unit of measurement called length. In the microtonal and tuning world, we also have a measurement called cents. Cents is the measurement
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	[[Category:Guides]]		[[Category:Guides]]
	~~[[Category:Todo:remove manual line breaks]]~~

BudjarnLambeth at 04:25, 9 January 2024

2024-01-09T04:25:05Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:25, 9 January 2024
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	'''What you can learn from this guide'''		'''What you can learn from this guide'''

	<ul><li>'''How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes'''</li><li>'''Understand [[Generators]] and [[~~periods~~]] and how they can be used to build scales'''</li><li>'''Learn how [[Just Intonation]] ratios are approximated in a scale'''</li><li>'''Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes'''</li><li>'''Learn how to construct chords from scales'''</li><li>'''much much more! :)'''</li></ul>		<ul><li>'''How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes'''</li><li>'''Understand [[Generators]] and [[period]]s and how they can be used to build scales'''</li><li>'''Learn how [[Just Intonation]] ratios are approximated in a scale'''</li><li>'''Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes'''</li><li>'''Learn how to construct chords from scales'''</li><li>'''much much more! :)'''</li></ul>

	='''Basic Terminology'''=		='''Basic Terminology'''=

BudjarnLambeth: Added links to dead end page

2024-01-09T04:24:49Z

Added links to dead end page

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:24, 9 January 2024
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	'''What you can learn from this guide'''		'''What you can learn from this guide'''

	<ul><li>'''How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes'''</li><li>'''Understand Generators and periods and how they can be used to build scales'''</li><li>'''Learn how Just Intonation ratios are approximated in a scale'''</li><li>'''Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes'''</li><li>'''Learn how to construct chords from scales'''</li><li>'''much much more! :)'''</li></ul>		<ul><li>'''How scales are constructed by the use of various step sizes'''</li><li>'''Understand [[Generators]] and [[periods]] and how they can be used to build scales'''</li><li>'''Learn how [[Just Intonation]] ratios are approximated in a scale'''</li><li>'''Understand how different Equal Temperaments work for different purposes'''</li><li>'''Learn how to construct chords from scales'''</li><li>'''much much more! :)'''</li></ul>

	='''Basic Terminology'''=		='''Basic Terminology'''=
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	[[Category:Guides]]		[[Category:Guides]]
			[[Category:Todo:remove manual line breaks]]

BudjarnLambeth: Added links to dead end page

2024-01-09T04:23:19Z

Added links to dead end page

Fredg999: Fredg999 moved page Beginners Guide to Scales and Tunings to Beginner's guide to scales and tunings: WP:NCCAPS (+ apostrophe)

2023-03-06T21:12:14Z

Fredg999 moved page Beginners Guide to Scales and Tunings to Beginner's guide to scales and tunings: WP:NCCAPS (+ apostrophe)

← Older revision	Revision as of 21:12, 6 March 2023
(No difference)

Fredg999 category edits: Categories

2023-02-21T05:45:55Z

Fredg999 category edits: Moving from Category:Guide to Category:Guides using Cat-a-lot

2023-02-21T05:30:24Z

Moving from Category:Guide to Category:Guides using Cat-a-lot

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:30, 21 February 2023
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	[[Category:Beginner]]		[[Category:Beginner]]
	[[Category:EDO theory pages]]		[[Category:EDO theory pages]]
	[[Category:~~guide~~]]		[[Category:Guides]]
	[[Category:just_intonation]]		[[Category:just_intonation]]
	[[Category:Practical help]]		[[Category:Practical help]]
	[[Category:tuning]]		[[Category:tuning]]
	[[Category:tunings]]		[[Category:tunings]]

Fredg999 category edits: Removing from Category:Theory using Cat-a-lot

2023-02-20T04:04:10Z

Removing from Category:Theory using Cat-a-lot

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:04, 20 February 2023
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	[[Category:just_intonation]]		[[Category:just_intonation]]
	[[Category:Practical help]]		[[Category:Practical help]]
	~~[[Category:theory]]~~
	[[Category:tuning]]		[[Category:tuning]]
	[[Category:tunings]]		[[Category:tunings]]

Fredg999 category edits: Moving from Category:Scales to Category:Practical help using Cat-a-lot

2022-02-26T02:21:00Z

Moving from Category:Scales to Category:Practical help using Cat-a-lot

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:21, 26 February 2022
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	[[Category:guide]]		[[Category:guide]]
	[[Category:just_intonation]]		[[Category:just_intonation]]
	[[Category:~~scales~~]]		[[Category:Practical help]]
	[[Category:theory]]		[[Category:theory]]
	[[Category:tuning]]		[[Category:tuning]]
	[[Category:tunings]]		[[Category:tunings]]

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:45, 21 February 2023
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	Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.		Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.
	~~[[Category:Beginner]]~~
	~~[[Category:EDO theory pages]]~~
	[[Category:Guides]]		[[Category:Guides]]
	~~[[Category:just_intonation]]~~
	~~[[Category:Practical help]]~~
	~~[[Category:tuning]]~~
	~~[[Category:tunings]]~~

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:23, 9 January 2024
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	='''Basic Terminology'''=		='''Basic Terminology'''=

	'''Scale - a finite row of tones ordered by pitch'''		'''[[Scale]] - a finite row of tones ordered by pitch'''

	'''Tuning - a finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings) Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well'''		'''[[Tuning]] - a finite superset of scales (scales exist within tunings) Tunings also are considered to be scales because they are a row of tones as well'''

	'''Chord - a set of ~~notes~~ acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning'''		'''[[Chord]] - a set of [[note]]s acting as one unit taken from an existing scale/tuning'''

	'''Equal Temperament - a tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart'''		'''[[Equal-step tuning\|Equal Temperament]] - a tuning/scale made of notes that are all equally spaced apart'''

	'''Mos - (Moment of Symmetry) a scale in which every interval comes in two sizes'''		'''[[Mos]] - (Moment of Symmetry) a scale in which every interval comes in two sizes'''

	'''Step - the distance from one note to another'''		'''[[Step]] - the distance from one note to another'''

	'''Interval - A name of a particular distance of one note to another'''		'''[[Interval]] - A name of a particular distance of one note to another'''

	What is a scale you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word tuning more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''~~octaves~~ and ~~cents~~.''		What is a scale you might ask? Put simply, it's just some notes which are arranged from low to high. While the word "scale" is generic and changes meaning slightly depending on context, the word tuning more specifically refers to the maximum number of possible unique pitches in a piece of music or instrument. What I mean is, a tuning refers to the set of notes in which we say are "allowed" or "possible", on a real instrument, this is easy to demonstrate but we first must understand ''[[octave]]s and [[cent]]s.''

	=Cents notation and octaves=		=Cents notation and octaves=
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	In architecture and construction, we have a unit of measurement called length. In the microtonal and tuning world, we also have a measurement called cents. Cents is the measurement		In architecture and construction, we have a unit of measurement called length. In the microtonal and tuning world, we also have a measurement called cents. Cents is the measurement

	in which we measure the distance from one pitch to another. One cent is exactly 100th of the distance between two keys on a piano.A half-step, the smallest interval in 12 Equal is exactly 100 cents and this is what we base our interval measurement on. If we know that 100 cents is the distance from one key on a piano to one higher or lower by a half step, then we know that two keys distance is 200 cents right? If we keep going we eventually arrive at 1200 cents. At this point the two notes 000 cents and 1200 cents from the same note sound identical but one is higher and one is lower. This is what we call the "octave". You might have heard of the term in basic music theory; ''the name octave comes from the eighth note in a major scale.''		in which we measure the distance from one pitch to another. One cent is exactly 100th of the distance between two keys on a piano.A half-step, the smallest interval in [[12edo\|12 Equal]] is exactly 100 cents and this is what we base our interval measurement on. If we know that 100 cents is the distance from one key on a piano to one higher or lower by a half step, then we know that two keys distance is 200 cents right? If we keep going we eventually arrive at 1200 cents. At this point the two notes 000 cents and 1200 cents from the same note sound identical but one is higher and one is lower. This is what we call the "octave". You might have heard of the term in basic music theory; ''the name octave comes from the eighth note in a major scale.''

	Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.		Looking at music in this way is cool. We know that we can break down a piano into cents in increments of 100 cents.

	[[Category:Guides]]		[[Category:Guides]]