User:Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Scales and modes: Difference between revisions

(5 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)

Line 1:

15edo is a medium-sized temperament. By this, I mean that it is big enough that the edostep/chromatic scale might be unwieldy (temperaments that do not do this, like [[8edo]], are often called "macrotonal", because quite frankly, [[12edo]] itself has a somewhat unwieldy chromatic scale), but not big enough that an edostep is noticeably distinct from the [[semitone]] (such as [[24edo]], whose edosteps are small enough that they're typically called "quarter tones"). However, while most medium-sized scales can at least approximate things you may know and love from the favorite temperament of the West, each also has its own flair that makes certain scales more enticing than they would be in 12edo, and also can impart some of that same flair onto the scales that ''are'' approximations of the West's favorite scales. This page catalogues some of the scales that work well in 15edo. However, note that basically any set of 15edo notes can create a scale that will be effective if used well. For example, I don't talk about [[sephiroth]], because 15edo cannot approximate it well (due to the hepta- and decatonic versions both using notes very close to odd [[30edo]] intervals), but that could be seen as a feature and not a bug.

For every scale I will be showing an "edobox," like the one you see to the right. This is something I got from [[Levi McClain]]'s xenharmony videos. Each number represents the number of edosteps (in 15edo, these are semitones, but he typically does work in 31edo, where an edostep is a [[diesis]]) you have to go from the root to reach the note we wish to include. The root can be any note in the temperament. While I will be referencing different names for notes in 15edo, these edoboxes abstract the system from any given notation type, since that's a subject for another page.

Line 25:

==Augmented scales==

As seen in the [[User:Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and Chords|Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and ~~Chords~~]] page, the major augmented seventh (or just augmented seventh, as the seventh is usually assumed to be major) chord uses scale degrees 0, 5, 10, and 15. This means all scales whose period is 5 can be considered to be either the augmented seventh, or divisions thereof; I refer to these as augmented scales as a result. For some reason, of all the things that come in threes, both of the augmented scales commonly associated with 15edo are named after ''The Legend of Zelda'', but that's fine by me.

As seen in the [[User:Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and Chords|Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and chords]] page, the major augmented seventh (or just augmented seventh, as the seventh is usually assumed to be major) chord uses scale degrees 0, 5, 10, and 15. This means all scales whose period is 5 can be considered to be either the augmented seventh, or divisions thereof; I refer to these as augmented scales as a result. For some reason, of all the things that come in threes, both of the augmented scales commonly associated with 15edo are named after ''The Legend of Zelda'', but that's fine by me.

Line 123:

| Locrian

|}

===Onyx===

Onyx uses 7 stacked neutral seconds instead of 8. You can think of it as removing the "pine note" from pine, as long as it's fine that the majority reverses! In fact, if you take the brightest modes of pine and onyx, you'll find that their intervals are exactly opposite each other (as long as one of the middle notes is removed).

Onyx modes also don't have names, so I refer to them using variants of chalcedony, the rock family to which onyx belongs.

{| class="wikitable"

! UDP code

! Name

! Majorness

! Major-centric<br>name

|-

| 6|0

| Chrysoprase

| 6

| Lydian

|-

| 5|1

| Matorolite

| 5

| Ionian

|-

| 4|2

| Jasper

| 4

| Mixolydian

|-

| 3|3

| Carnelian

| 3

| Dorian

|-

| 2|4

| Sard

| 2

| Aeolian

|-

| 1|5

| Heliotrope

| 1

| Phrygian

|-

| 0|6

| Agate

| 0

| Locrian

|}

==What to do with all these scales==

You could, of course, stick to one scale or even one individual scale mode in your piece and be perfectly fine. The strategy works for 12edo, why not 15? However, what proponents of 15edo will say is that its strength is in its modularity. It's arguably easier to step between keys and scales in your works in 15edo than in 12edo.

One trick you can do is to write each movement (or segment or whatever you wish to call it) in a smaller scale, like putting your verse in onyx carnelian or writing a slendric scale introduction. Then, when you wish to switch your scale, use one of the larger scale degrees that contains both notes of your current scale and the target to make a transition. The greats of 15edo suggest a blackwood mode for this purpose, but a hyrulic mode could also work, in my opinion. This is a lot like transitioning between two keys in traditional music theory, but on a grander scale (pun unintended). By using the higher scale as a framework, you can enter a new scale without jarring the listener with a sudden note that shouldn't belong to the original scale.

I could even see sticking to a small scale, but opening up to a larger scale, perhaps with a dense, Follin-esque arpeggio, to make the chorus sound bolder. This is essentially the same idea as the previous, but hold the transition into a new scale (or do it anyway in the next verse - the world's your oyster).

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 edo is a medium-sized temperament. By this, I mean that it is big enough that the edostep/chromatic scale might be unwieldy (temperaments that do not do this, like [[8edo]], are often called "macrotonal", because quite frankly, [[12edo]] itself has a somewhat unwieldy chromatic scale), but not big enough that an edostep is noticeably distinct from the [[semitone]] (such as [[24edo]], whose edosteps are small enough that they're typically called "quarter tones"). However, while most medium-sized scales can at least approximate things you may know and love from the favorite temperament of the West, each also has its own flair that makes certain scales more enticing than they would be in 12edo, and also can impart some of that same flair onto the scales that ''are'' approximations of the West's favorite scales. This page catalogues some of the scales that work well in 15edo. However, note that basically any set of 15edo notes can create a scale that will be effective if used well. For example, I don't talk about [[sephiroth]], because 15edo cannot approximate it well (due to the hepta- and decatonic versions both using notes very close to odd [[30edo]] intervals), but that could be seen as a feature and not a bug.
-{{edobox|15edo "sephiroth[10]"|0|1|2|4|6|7|9|10|12|13}}
+{{edobox|15edo "sephiroth[10]"|col=3|0|1|2|4|6|7|9|10|12|13}}
 For every scale I will be showing an "edobox," like the one you see to the right. This is something I got from [[Levi McClain]]'s xenharmony videos. Each number represents the number of edosteps (in 15edo, these are semitones, but he typically does work in 31edo, where an edostep is a [[diesis]]) you have to go from the root to reach the note we wish to include. The root can be any note in the temperament. While I will be referencing different names for notes in 15edo, these edoboxes abstract the system from any given notation type, since that's a subject for another page.
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 ==Augmented scales==
-As seen in the [[User:Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and Chords|Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and Chords]] page, the major augmented seventh (or just augmented seventh, as the seventh is usually assumed to be major) chord uses scale degrees 0, 5, 10, and 15. This means all scales whose period is 5 can be considered to be either the augmented seventh, or divisions thereof; I refer to these as augmented scales as a result. For some reason, of all the things that come in threes, both of the augmented scales commonly associated with 15edo are named after ''The Legend of Zelda'', but that's fine by me.
+As seen in the [[User:Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and Chords|Astaryuu/15edo Notes/Notes and chords]] page, the major augmented seventh (or just augmented seventh, as the seventh is usually assumed to be major) chord uses scale degrees 0, 5, 10, and 15. This means all scales whose period is 5 can be considered to be either the augmented seventh, or divisions thereof; I refer to these as augmented scales as a result. For some reason, of all the things that come in threes, both of the augmented scales commonly associated with 15edo are named after ''The Legend of Zelda'', but that's fine by me.
 {{edobox|Triforce lorule|col=3|0|2|5|7|10|12}}
@@ Line 123: / Line 123: @@
 | Locrian
 |}
+{{edobox|Sardonyx|0|2|4|6|9|11|13}}
+===Onyx===
+Onyx uses 7 stacked neutral seconds instead of 8. You can think of it as removing the "pine note" from pine, as long as it's fine that the majority reverses! In fact, if you take the brightest modes of pine and onyx, you'll find that their intervals are exactly opposite each other (as long as one of the middle notes is removed).
+Onyx modes also don't have names, so I refer to them using variants of chalcedony, the rock family to which onyx belongs.
+{| class="wikitable"
+! UDP code
+! Name
+! Majorness
+! Major-centric<br>name
+|-
+| 6|0
+| Chrysoprase
+| 6
+| Lydian
+|-
+| 5|1
+| Matorolite
+| 5
+| Ionian
+|-
+| 4|2
+| Jasper
+| 4
+| Mixolydian
+|-
+| 3|3
+| Carnelian
+| 3
+| Dorian
+|-
+| 2|4
+| Sard
+| 2
+| Aeolian
+|-
+| 1|5
+| Heliotrope
+| 1
+| Phrygian
+|-
+| 0|6
+| Agate
+| 0
+| Locrian
+|}
+==What to do with all these scales==
+You could, of course, stick to one scale or even one individual scale mode in your piece and be perfectly fine. The strategy works for 12edo, why not 15? However, what proponents of 15edo will say is that its strength is in its modularity. It's arguably easier to step between keys and scales in your works in 15edo than in 12edo.
+One trick you can do is to write each movement (or segment or whatever you wish to call it) in a smaller scale, like putting your verse in onyx carnelian or writing a slendric scale introduction. Then, when you wish to switch your scale, use one of the larger scale degrees that contains both notes of your current scale and the target to make a transition. The greats of 15edo suggest a blackwood mode for this purpose, but a hyrulic mode could also work, in my opinion. This is a lot like transitioning between two keys in traditional music theory, but on a grander scale (pun unintended). By using the higher scale as a framework, you can enter a new scale without jarring the listener with a sudden note that shouldn't belong to the original scale.
+I could even see sticking to a small scale, but opening up to a larger scale, perhaps with a dense, Follin-esque arpeggio, to make the chorus sound bolder. This is essentially the same idea as the previous, but hold the transition into a new scale (or do it anyway in the next verse - the world's your oyster).