User:Unque/TERNAMS

TERNAMS (pronounced /tərneɪmz/, TER-names) is a system meant to provide tuning-agnostic names for MV3 ternary scales. The name "TERNAMS" is a portmanteau of "ternary" and "names," specifically chosen by comparison to TAMNAMS.

TERNAMS aims to fix the problem wherein ternary scales and their modes cannot be concisely described with numbers in the same manner that MOS scales can. While a MV2 MOS scale can be described in terms of large and small steps, many MV3 ternary scales have separate chiral and achiral patterns with the same number of steps. Additionally, while a mode of a MV2 MOS scale can be described by how many generators are stacked up/down from the root, many MV3 ternary scales cannot be made with generators at all.

For the purposes of TERNAMS, the left-hand and right-hand variants of chiral scales will be considered equivalent scales; when disambiguation is needed, Levo- can be prefixed for the left-hand orientation, and Dextro- for the right-hand.

This page will document any and all MV3 ternary scales, and the modes thereof, that have been named in the TERNAMS system thus far.

Five-Note Scales

Dactylic (Achiral 1L2M2s)

The name "Dactylic" was given by Unque, from the Greek Dactylus, meaning "finger"; the five modes are thus named for the Greek terms for the five fingers. Dactylic can be collapsed to form Antipentic (L = M), Antimanual (M = s), or Antrial (s = 0).

Dactylic Modes

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Brightness	Step Pattern
Deictian	1	4	MLMss
Mesaian	2	5	LMssM
Dactylidian	3	3	MssML
Micrian	4	1	ssMLM
Anticheirian	5	2	sMLMs

Seven-Note Scales

Nicetone (Chiral 3L2M2s)

The name "Nicetone" is chosen by comparison to Meantone, as it is a variant of the Diatonic scale that distinguishes between two types of whole tones. It can be collapsed to form Diatonic (L = M), Mosh (M = s), and Antipentic (s = 0). The seven modes of this scale can be named after the Greek-language names of the Byzantine Echoi, as to distinguish them from the modes of MV2 diatonic.

Ptolemaic Modes

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Left-Hand Brightness	Right-Hand Brightness	Left-Hand Pattern	Right-Hand Pattern
Tritus	1	4	6	MLsLMLs	LMsLMLs
Deuterus	2	6	3	LsLMLsM	MsLMLsL
Protus	3	2	2	sLMLsML	sLMLsLM
Barus	4	7	7	LMLsMLs	LMLsLMs
Hypodeuterus	5	3	4	MLsMLsL	MLsLMsL
Hypoprotus	6	5	5	LsMLsLM	LsLMsLM
Tetarus	7	1	1	sMLsLML	sLMsLML

Antinicetone (Chiral 2L2M3s)

Antinicetone is the inverse of the Nicetone scale. It can be collapsed to form Smitonic (L = M), Antidiatonic (M = s), or Diwood (s = 0). Since each mode of Antinicetone is a unique inversion of two different Nicetone modes, the modes can be named as a combination of the two modes which they invert.

Antinicetone Modes

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Left-Hand Brightness	Right-Hand Brightness	Left-Hand Pattern	Right-Hand Pattern
Tritoprotus	1	2	4	sMLsMsL	sLMsLsM
Deuterobarus	2	5	2	MLsMsLs	LMsLsMs
Protodeuterus	3	6	6	LsMsLsM	MsLsMsL
Baroprotus	4	1	1	sMsLsML	sLsMsLM
Hypotetarus	5	4	5	MsLsMLs	LsMsLMs
Hypotritus	6	3	3	sLsMLsM	sMsLMsL
Tetarodeuterus	7	7	7	LsMLsMs	MsLMsLs

Nine-Note Scales

Orbital (Chiral 2L2M5s)

The name "Orbital" was proposed by CellularAutomaton as a joint pun on Orwell and Balzano. This scale can be collapsed to form Gramitonic (L = M), Balzano (M = s), or Diwood (s = 0). Its nine modes can be named after the demonyms for the nine planets of the solar system.

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Left-Hand Brightness	Right-Hand Brightness	Left-Hand Pattern	Right-Hand Pattern
Mercurian	1	7	9	MsLsMsLss	LsMsLsMss
Cytherian	2	5	3	sLsMsLssM	sMsLsMssL
Terrestrial	3	9	7	LsMsLssMs	MsLsMssLs
Martian	4	2	4	sMsLssMsL	sLsMssLsM
Jovian	5	6	8	MsLssMsLs	LsMssLsMs
Cronian	6	4	2	sLssMsLsM	sMssLsMsL
Uranian	7	8	6	LssMsLsMs	MssLsMsLs
Neptunian	8	1	1	ssMsLsMsL	ssLsMsLsM
Plutonian	9	3	5	sMsLsMsLs	sLsMsLsMs

Dhembric (Chiral 4L1M4s)

The name "Dhembric" was suggested by Lériendil as a reference to Dhembrwood, a temperament which utilizes both the left- and right-hand variations of this scale. The modes of the scale can be inherited from the Dhembrwood[9] mode names (as opposed to Dhembrwood[9], whose modes may be confused for those of Orbital). This scale can be collapsed to form Semiquartal (L = M), Gramitonic (M = s), or Manual (s = 0).

Dhembric Modes

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Left-Hand Brightness	Right-Hand Brightness	Left-Hand Pattern	Right-Hand Pattern
Clumsy	1	9	5	LsLsLsLsM	MsLsLsLsL
Snoozy	2	4	1	sLsLsLsML	sLsLsLsLM
Cheerful	3	8	6	LsLsLsMLs	LsLsLsLMs
Fearful	4	3	2	sLsLsMLsL	sLsLsLMsL
Hyper	5	7	7	LsLsMLsLs	LsLsLMsLs
Hungry	6	2	3	sLsMLsLsL	sLsLMsLsL
Griselda	7	6	8	LsMLsLsLs	LsLMsLsLs
Ambidextrous	8	1	4	sMLsLsLsL	sLMsLsLsL
Sometimes Bewildered	9	5	9	MLsLsLsLs	LMsLsLsLs

Diasem (Chiral 5L2M2s)

The modes of the chiral Diasem scale have yet to be named; some have proposed usage of the Diatonic or Semiquartal mode names, but such proposals have been criticized for being ambiguous.

Diasem Modes

Mode Name	Rotational Order	Left-Hand Brightness	Right-Hand Brightness	Left-Hand Pattern	Right-Hand Pattern
TBA	1	5	6	LsLMLsLLM	LsLMLLsLM
TBA	2	1	2	sLMLsLLML	sLMLLsLML
TBA	3	8	8	LMLsLLMLs	LMLLsLMLs
TBA	4	4	4	MLsLLMLsL	MLLsLMLsL
TBA	5	6	9	LsLLMLsLM	LLsLMLsLM
TBA	6	2	5	sLLMLsLML	LsLMLsLML
TBA	7	9	1	LLMLsLMLs	sLMLsLMLL
TBA	8	7	7	LMLsLMLsL	LMLsLMLLs
TBA	9	3	3	MLsLMLsLL	MLsLMLLsL