Overtone scale: Difference between revisions

; Mode 1: 1:2 -- only one tone.

; Mode 2: 2:3:4 -- one tone and perfect fifth (plus octaves). Rather limited.

; Mode 4: 4:5:6:7:8 -- this is the classic [[7-limit]] tetrad. In music, it appears as a chord more often than a scale, but it could be used either way. It includes the classic major triad, 4:5:6, with a harmonic seventh. Another triad available here over the bass is 4:6:7, which includes a perfect fifth and a harmonic seventh, but no major third.

=== Over-3 Scales ===

; Mode 3: 3:4:5:6 -- a major triad in 2nd inversion -- that is, with the perfect fifth in the bass.

; Mode 6: 6:7:8:9:10:11:12 -- an effective 6-tone scale. 9 is 3/2 above 3, so there is a perfect fifth above the bass. A septimal subminor triad -- 6:7:9 -- is available, as well as an undecimal 6:7:9:11 tetrad, which adds a neutral seventh of 11/6 to the septimal subminor triad. Try also 6:9:11, which contains a perfect fifth and 11/6 neutral seventh, but no third above the bass.

; Mode 5: 5:6:7:8:9:10 — This is essentially a [[7-limit]] fully-diminished seventh chord. [[7/5]] makes a very nice tritone above the bass -- the simplest one available in JI -- and it's available in all the higher Over-5 modes as well. This is the scale used by the Wagogo people of Tanzania.

; Mode 10: 10:11:12:13:14:15:16:17:18:19:20 — from 10 to 15 is a 3/2 perfect fifth. We have access to a 10:12:15 classic minor triad, as well as a number of other nice chords like the 10:13:15 barbados triad. 11/10 makes a strange second (or ninth), while 9/5 makes a very nice minor seventh (and an alternative to the 7/4 bluesy seventh of Over-1 scales and 11/6 neutral seventh of Over-3 scales.

=== Over-9 Scales ===

; Mode 9: 9:10:11:12:13:14:15:16:17:18 -- again, lacking a 3/2 above the bass, it's hard to make 9 sound like tonic.

=== Over-11 Scales ===

; Mode 11: 11:12:13:14:15:16:17:18:19:20:21:22