User:CompactStar/Ordinal interval notation
Lefts and rights notation is a relatively simple notation for just intonation devised by CompactStar.
Intervals are represented by a conventional interval category with a stack of lefts and rights (abbreviated as L and R) added before. To get the category of an interval, multiply the categories of the prime harmonics which it factors into, which are predefined as follows:
Prime harmonic | Notation | ||
---|---|---|---|
2/1 | P8 | perfect octave | C |
3/2 | P5 | perfect 5th | G |
5/4 | M3 | major 3rd | E |
7/4 | m7 | minor 7th | Bb |
11/8 | P4 | perfect 4th | F |
13/8 | m6 | minor 6th | Ab |
17/16 | m2 | minor 2nd | Db |
19/16 | m3 | minor 3rd | Eb |
23/16 | A4 | augmented 4th | F# |
29/16 | m7 | minor 7th | Bb |
31/16 | P8 | perfect octave | C |
37/32 | M2 | major 2nd | D |
41/32 | M3 | major 3rd | E |
43/32 | P4 | perfect 4th | F |
47/32 | P5 | perfect 5th | G |
53/32 | M6 | major 6th | A |
61/32 | M7 | major 7th | B |
67/64 | m2 | minor 2nd | Db |
71/64 | M2 | major 2nd | D |
73/64 | M2 | major 2nd | D |
79/64 | M3 | major 3rd | E |
83/64 | P4 | perfect 4th | F |
89/64 | d5 | diminished 5th | Gb |
97/64 | P5 | perfect 5th | G |
The simplest (with respect to Tenney height) interval inside a category does not use any lefts or rights (or is "central"), for example 6/5 for minor 3rd. The simplest interval which is flatter than the central interval is left (7/6 for minor 3rd), and the simplest interval which is sharper is right (11/9 for minor 3rd). Then the simplest interval which is flatter than the left is leftleft, the simplest interval between left and central is leftright , the simplest interval which is between central and right is rightleft, and the simplest interval which is sharper than right is rightright. This process of bisection with lefts/rights can be continued infinitely to name all just intervals that are in a category. Interval arithmetic is preserved (e.g. M2 + M2 = M3), however the lefts and rights do not combine like accidentals do.