Scale naming
Scale naming is the process of choosing or determining the name of a scale. A scale may have one or more common names, either inherited from historical usage or coined more recently, as well as one or more systematic scale names, derived from a naming scheme designed to name whole families of scales. Scales derived from systematic scale design are more likely to be named according to a systematic naming scheme, while individually handcrafted scales are more likely to bear similarly handcrafted common names.
Tempered scales
- "Bracket notation" redirects here. Not to be confused with Extended bra-ket notation.
Scales generated from rank-2 temperaments are often named systematically using bracket notation (not to be confused with the extended bra-ket notation): temperament[size]. For example, the 7-tone scale built by repeatedly stacking generators of meantone temperament is named "meantone[7]". The stack of generators must be contiguous (no skips or gaps), otherwise the name would become ambiguous. This notation is valid even if the size is not a MOS size; therefore, "meantone[8]" is an equally valid example. Since bracket notation does not carry tuning information, the tuning method is often prefixed in order to describe a concrete tempered scale, including superset edos (e.g. "31edo meantone[7]") and regular temperament tuning techniques (e.g. "CTE meantone[7]", "1/4-comma meantone[7]").
Regular temperaments can also be described systematically using temperament merging. For example, 7&12[7] is equivalent to meantone[7]. Temperament merging expressions are not unique, so 5&7[7] is another equivalent to meantone[7].
MOS scales
MOS scales can be identified systematically by their scale signature, i.e. the number of large and small steps. For example, the diatonic scale's signature is 5L 2s. Since scale signature does not carry tuning information, the tuning method is often prefixed in order to describe a concrete MOS scale, including superset edos (e.g. "31edo 5L 2s") and step ratio (e.g. "5:3 5L 2s").
Furthermore, several common naming schemes for naming MOS scales have been proposed:
- TAMNAMS, a naming scheme for naming octave-equivalent MOS scales (up to 10 notes); this scheme also names the intervals and scale degrees of a MOS scale, much like those of 5L 2s, as well as step ratios. This is currently the most comprehensive naming system.
- Graham Breed's MOS naming scheme.
- Dwarf naming scheme, a frivolous naming scheme that has influenced some of the names in Graham Breed's naming scheme.
- Pergen#Pergens_and_MOS_scales, a naming scheme based on pergens