Step variety: Difference between revisions
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An ''n'''-ary scale''''' is a scale with exactly ''n'' distinct step sizes. '''''Unary''''', '''''binary''''' and '''''ternary''''' scales are scales with exactly 1, 2 and 3 step sizes, respectively. | An ''n'''-ary scale''''' is a scale with exactly ''n'' distinct step sizes. '''''Unary''''', '''''binary''''' and '''''ternary''''' scales are scales with exactly 1, 2 and 3 step sizes, respectively. | ||
A unary scale is an [[equal tuning]]. The class of binary scales consists of all [[MOS]] scales and every alteration-by-permutation of a MOS scale. Ternary scales are much less well- | A unary scale is an [[equal tuning]]. The class of binary scales consists of all [[MOS]] scales and every alteration-by-permutation of a MOS scale. Ternary scales are much less well-understood than binary ones, but one well-studied type of ternary scales is the class of [[generator-offset]] scales. Most known facts about ternary scales on the wiki can be found on the page [[rank-3 scale]]. | ||
== History of the term == | == History of the term == | ||
The terms ''binary'' and ''ternary'' are already used in some academic literature in reference to scales; see e.g. Bulgakova, Buzhinsky and Goncharov (2023), "[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304397522006417 On balanced and abelian properties of circular words over a ternary alphabet]". | The terms ''binary'' and ''ternary'' are already used in some academic literature in reference to scales; see e.g. Bulgakova, Buzhinsky and Goncharov (2023), "[https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304397522006417 On balanced and abelian properties of circular words over a ternary alphabet]". |