Chapter 17: Musical Systems
Study Plan
Key Points
- An octave is the interval spanning eight notes of the scale.
- In Western music, the octave is divided into twelve half steps, the smallest interval used; two half steps make a whole step.
- The chromatic scale is made up of these twelve half steps, while a diatonic scale is built on patterns of seven whole and half steps that form major and minor scales.
- A sharp (#) is a symbol that raises a pitch by a half step; a flat (b) lowers a tone by a half step.
- Other scale types used around the world include tritonic (three-note patterns), pentatonic (five-note patterns), and heptatonic (seven-note patterns other than major or minor).
- Some world cultures use microtones, which are intervals smaller than half steps; scales from other cultures—for example, Indian ragas—have extra-musical associations.
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