Anhemitonic scale

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Minyō scale on D,[1] equivalent to yo scale on D,[2] an anhemitonic scale  Play (help·info).
Miyako-bushi scale on D, equivalent to in scale on D,[4] a hemitonic scale  Play (help·info).

Musicology commonly classifies note scales as either hemitonic or anhemitonic. Hemitonic scales contain one or more semitones and anhemitonic scales do not contain semitones. For example, in Japanese music the anhemitonic yo scale is contrasted with the hemitonic in scale.[5] The simplest scale in most common use over the planet, the atritonic anhemitonic ("Major") pentatonic scale, is anhemitonic, so also the whole tone scale.

Hungarian minor scale on C, a cohemitonic scale.[3]  Play (help·info)

A special subclass of the hemitonic scales is the cohemitonic scales.[6] Cohemitonic scales contain two or more semitones (making them hemitonic), in particular such that the semitones fall consecutively in scale order. For example, the Hungarian minor scale in C includes F-sharp, G, and A-flat in that order, with semitones between.

Octatonic scales on C, hemitonic but ancohemitonic  Play (help·info).

Ancohemitonic scales, by contrast, possess either no semitones (and thus are anhemitonic), or possess semitones (being hemitonic) but ordered such that none are consecutive.[7] In some uses as vary by author, only the more specific second definition is to be understood. Examples are numerous, as ancohemitonia is favored over cohemitonia in the world's musics: diatonic scale, melodic major/melodic minor, Hungarian major, harmonic major scale, harmonic minor scale, and the so-called octatonic scale.

Hemitonia is also quantified by the number of semitones present. Unhemitonic scales have one and only one semitone; dihemitonic scales have 2 semitones; trihemitonic scales have 3 semitones, etc. In the same way that an anhemitonic scale is less dissonant than a hemitonic scale, an unhemitonic scale is less dissonant than a dihemitonic scale.

The qualification of cohemitonia versus ancohemitonia combines with the cardinality of semitones, giving terms like: dicohemitonic, tricohemitonic, and so forth. The importance of this lies in the fact that an ancohemitonic scale is less dissonant than a cohemitonic scale, the count of their semitones being equal. In general, the number of semitones is more important to the perception of dissonance than the adjacency (or lack thereof) of any pair of them. Additional adjacency between semitones (once adjacency is present) does not necessarily increase the dissonance, the count of semitones again being equal.[8]

Related to these semitone classifications are tritonic and atritonic scales. Tritonic scales contain one or more tritones and atritonic scales do not contain tritones. A special monotonic relationship obtains between semitones and tritones as scales are built by projection, q.v. below.

The harmonic relationship of all these categories lies in their bases of semitones and tritones being the severest of dissonances, avoidance of which is often relatively desirable. The most used scales across the planet are anhemitonic; of the remaining hemitonic scales, the most used are ancohemitonic. The fundamental importance is confirmed that in study of these categories, the names of the commonest scales in use appear again and again.

Quantification of Hemitonia and Its Relationship to Ancohemitonia

Most of the world's music is anhemitonic, perhaps 90%.[9] Of that other hemitonic portion, perhaps 90% is unhemitonic, predominating in chords of only 1 semitone, all of which are ancohemitonic by definition.[9] Of the remaining 10%, perhaps 90% are dihemitonic, predominating in chords of no more than 2 semitones. The same applies to chords of 3 semitones.[10] In both later cases, however, there is a distinct preference for ancohemitonia, as the lack of adjacency of any two semitones goes a long way towards softening the increasing dissonance.

The following table plots sonority size (downwards on the left) against semitone count (to the right) plus the quality of ancohemitonia (denoted with letter A) versus cohemitonia (denoted with letter C). In general, ancohemitonic combinations are fewer for a given chord or scale size, but used much more frequently so that their names are well known.

Sonority Semitone Counts
Notes Count 0 1 2 2A 2C 3 3A 3C >=4 >=4A >=4C
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 6 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
3 19 10 8 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
4 43 10 21 11 4 7 1 0 1 0 0 0
5 66 3 20 30 15 15 12 0 12 1 0 1
6 80 1 5 26 17 9 34 4 30 14 0 14
7 66 0 0 3 2 1 20 4 16 43 0 43
8 43 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 43 1 42
9 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 0 19
10 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 6
11 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
12 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1
TOTALS: 351 30 55 71 38 33 67 8 59 128 1 127

Column "0" represents the most common chords in use.,[8] avoiding intervals of M7 and chromatic 9ths and such combinations of 4th, chromatic 5ths, and 6th to produce semitones. Column "1" represents chords barely employing the harmonic degrees which Column "0" eschews. Column "2", however, represents sounds far more intractable.[8]

Column "0", row "5" are the full but pleasant chords: 9th, 6/9, and 9alt5 with no 7.[11] Column "0", row "6", is the unique whole tone scale.[12] Column "2A", row "7", a local minimum, refers to the diatonic scale and melodic major/melodic minor scales.[13] Ancohemitonia, inter alii, probably makes these scales popular. Column "2C", row "7", another local minimum, refers to the Neapolitan major scale, which is cohemitonic and somewhat less common but still popular enough to bear a name.[14] Column "3A", row "7", another local minimum, represents the Hungarian major scale, and its involution, and the harmonic major scale and involution harmonic minor scale of the same.[15] Column "3A", row "6", are the hexatonic analogs to these four familiar scales,[16] one of which being the Augmented scale,[17] and another the analog of the Octatonic scale - which itself appears, alone and solitary, at Column ">=4A". row "8".[18] Column "2A", row "4", another minimum, represents a few frankly dissonant, yet strangely resonant harmonic combinations: mM9 with no 5, 11♭9, dom13♭9, and M7♯11.[11]

As music tends towards increasing dissonance over the timespan of history, perhaps someday Column "2" will be as acceptable as even Column "1" might be, and Column "3" will finally have a place in the harmony of the world.

Example: hemitonia and tritonia of the perfect fifth projection

The interrelationship of semitones, tritones, and increasing note count can be demonstrated by taking five consecutive pitches from the circle of fifths;[19] starting on C, these are C, G, D, A, and E. Transposing the pitches to fit into one octave rearranges the pitches into the major pentatonic scale: C, D, E, G, A. This scale is anhemitonic, having no semitones; it is atritonic, having no tritones.

  play (help·info)

In addition, this is the maximal number of notes taken consecutively from the circle of fifths for which is it still possible to avoid a semitone.[20]

Adding another note from the circle of fifths gives the major hexatonic scale: C D E G A B. This scale is hemitonic, having a semitone between B and C; it is atritonic, having no tritones. In addition, this is the maximal number of notes taken consecutively from the circle of fifths for which is it still possible to avoid a tritone.[21]

Adding still another note from the circle of fifths gives the major heptatonic scale: C D E F G A B. This scale is strictly ancohemitonic, having 2 semitones but not consecutively; it is tritonic, having a tritone between F and B. Past this point in the projection series, no new intervals are added to the Interval vector analysis of the scale,[22] but cohemitonia will result.

P7 projection/major heptatonic on C  Play (help·info).

Adding still another note from the circle of fifths gives the major octatonic scale: C D E F F♯ G A B. This scale is cohemitonic, having 2 semitones together at E F F♯, and tritonic as well.[22]

Similar behavior is seen across all scales generally, that more notes in a scale tend cumulatively to add dissonant intervals (specifically: hemitonia and tritonia in no particular order) and cohemitonia not already present. While also true that more notes in a scale tend to allow more and varied intervals in the interval vector, there might be said to be a "point of diminishing returns", when qualified against the also increasing dissonance, hemitonia, tritonia and cohemitonia. It is near these points where most popular scales lie.[22]

Cohemitonic Scales

Though less used than ancohemitonic scales, the cohemitonic scales have an interesting property. The sequence of two (or more) consecutive halfsteps in a scale presents the opportunity to "split" the scale by placing the tonic note of the scale on the middle note of the halfstep span. This allows a leading tone from below resolving upwards, as well as a descending flat-supertonic upper neighbor, both converging on the tonic. The split turns a weakness - dissonance of cohemitonia - to a strength: contrapuntal convergence on the tonic. It is very common that a cohemitonic scale (e.g.: Hungarian minor { C D E♭ F♯ G A♭ B }) be displaced preferentially to a mode where the halfstep span is split (e.cont.: Double harmonic scale { G A♭ B C D E♭ F♯ }), and by which name we more commonly know the same circular series of intervals.[23] Cohemitonic scales with multiple halfstep spans present the additional possibility of modulating between tonics each furnished with both upper and lower neighbors.


Modes of the ancohemitonic heptatonic scales and the key signature system

Key signature A major / F♯ minor, an ancohemitonic heptatonic scale.

Western music's system of key signature is based upon the assumption of a heptatonic scale of 7 notes, such that there are never more than 7 accidentals present in a valid key signature. The global preference for anhemitonic scales combines with this basis to highlight the 6 ancohemitonic heptatonic scales,[24] most of which are common in romantic music, and of which most Romantic music is composed:

Adhering to the definition of heptatonic scales, these all possess 7 modes each, and are suitable for use in modal mutation.[25] They appear in the table above in Row "7", Columns "2A" amd "3A .

Table of key signatures

The following lists the key signatures for all possible untransposed modes of the ancohemitonic heptatonic scales.

Base scale Accidentals Mode name
Diatonic F♯ Lydian
Diatonic Ionian
Diatonic B♭ Mixolydian
Diatonic B♭, E♭ Dorian
Diatonic B♭, E♭, A♭ Aeolian
Diatonic B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭ Phrygian
Diatonic B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭ Locrian
Base scale Accidentals Mode name
Melodic F♯, G♯
Melodic F♯, B♭ Acoustic
Melodic E♭ Melodic minor
Melodic B♭, A♭ Melodic major
Melodic B♭, E♭, D♭
Melodic B♭, E♭, A♭, G♭
Melodic B♭, E♭, A♭, G♭, D♭, F♭ Super-Locrian
Base scale Accidentals Mode name
Hungarian major F♯, G♯, E♯
Hungarian major F♯, D♯, B♭ Hungarian major
Hungarian major G♯, E♭
Hungarian major F♯, B♭, E♭, D♭
Hungarian major E♭, A♭, G♭
Hungarian major B♭, E♭, D♭, G♭, F♭
Hungarian major E♭, D♭, G♭, F♭, B, A
Base scale Accidentals Mode name
involution of Hungarian major F♯, G♯, D♯, E♯
involution of Hungarian major F♯, G♯, E♭
involution of Hungarian major F♯, B♭, D♭ involution of Hungarian major
involution of Hungarian major E♭, G♭
involution of Hungarian major B♭, E♭, D♭, F♭
involution of Hungarian major E♭, A♭, G♭, B
involution of Hungarian major B♭, E♭, D♭, G♭, F♭, A
Base scale Accidentals Mode name
Harmonic major F♯, G♯, D♯
Harmonic major F♯, E♭
Harmonic major A♭ Harmonic major
Harmonic major B♭, D♭
Harmonic major B♭, E♭, G♭
Harmonic major B♭, E♭, A♭, D♭, F♭
Harmonic major E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, B
Base scale Accidentals Mode name
Harmonic minor F♯, D♯
Harmonic minor G♯
Harmonic minor F♯, B♭, E♭
Harmonic minor E♭, A♭ Harmonic minor
Harmonic minor B♭, A♭, D♭
Harmonic minor B♭, E♭, D♭, G♭
Harmonic minor E♭, A♭, D♭, G♭, F♭, B

Common citation in theories

  • Dimitri Tymoczko, in A Geometry of Music: Harmony and Counterpoint in the Extended Common Practice (ISBN 978-0195336672), includes hemitonia in calculation formulas for contrapuntal smoothness and harmonic force transfer.
  • Brett Willmott, in Mel Bays Complete Book of Harmony Theory and Voicing (ISBN 978-1562229948), restricts the scope of his guitar chord voicing to ancohemitonic tetrads.
  • Michael Keith, in From Polychords to Polya : Adventures in Musical Combinatorics (ISBN 978-0963009708), draws his list of basic harmonies as anhemitonic sonorities.

Miscellania

  • All heptatonic and larger scales are hemitonic (ditonic or better) and tritonic.[22]
  • All octatonic scales save one ("the octatonic" or Diminished scale) are cohemitonic.[22]
  • All enneatonic and larger scales are cohemitonic.[22]
  • All sonorities with 5 or more semitones are cohemitonic.[22]
  • The set complement of a cohemitonic scale is often an ancohemitonic scale, and vice versa.

References

  1. ↑ Susan Miyo Asai (1999). Nōmai Dance Drama, p. 126. ISBN 978-0-313-30698-3.
  2. ↑ Minoru Miki, Marty Regan, Philip Flavin (2008). Composing for Japanese instruments, p. 2. ISBN 978-1-58046-273-0.
  3. ↑ Kahan, Sylvia (2009). In Search of New Scales, p. 39. ISBN 978-1-58046-305-8. Cites Liszt. Des Bohémians, p. 301.
  4. ↑ Titon, Jeff Todd (1996). Worlds of Music: An Introduction to the Music of the World's Peoples, p. 373. ISBN 0-02-872612-X.
  5. ↑ Anon. (2001) "Ditonus", The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers; Bence Szabolcsi (1943), "Five-Tone Scales and Civilization", Acta Musicologica 15, Fasc. 1/4 (January–December): pp. 24–34, citation on p. 25.
  6. ↑ Christ, William (1966). Materials and Structure of Music, v.1, p. 39. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice–Hall. LOC 66-14354.
  7. ↑ Tymoczko, Dmitri (1997). "The Consecutive-Semitone Constraint on Scalar Structure: A Link between Impressionism and Jazz", Intégral, v.11, (1997), p. 135-179.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Keith, Michael. 1991. From Polychords to Polya : Adventures in Musical Combinatorics, p. 45. Princeton: Vinculum Press. ISBN 978-0963009708.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Keith, Michael. 1991. From Polychords to Polya : Adventures in Musical Combinatorics, p. 43. Princeton: Vinculum Press. ISBN 978-0963009708.
  10. ↑ Keith, Michael. 1991. From Polychords to Polya : Adventures in Musical Combinatorics, p. 48-49. Princeton: Vinculum Press. ISBN 978-0963009708.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Wilmott, Brett. (1994) Mel Bays Complete Book of Harmony Theory and Voicing, p.210. Pacific, Missouri: Mel Bay. ISBN 978-1562229948.
  12. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.367. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  13. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.362-363. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  14. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.363. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  15. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.364. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  16. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.369. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  17. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.368. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  18. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.360. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  19. ↑ Cooper, Paul. 1973. Perspectives in Music Theory: An Historical-Analytical Approach, p. 18. New York: Dodd, Mead. ISBN 0-396-06752-2.
  20. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.29. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  21. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p.40. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 22.5 22.6 Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p. 33. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  23. ↑ Schillinger, Joseph. (1941) The Schillinger System of Musical Composition, v.1, p. 113ff. New York: Carl Fischer. ISBN 0306775212.
  24. ↑ Hanson, Howard. (1960) Harmonic Materials of Modern Music, p. 362ff. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts. LOC 58-8138.
  25. ↑ Christ, William (1966). Materials and Structure of Music, v.1, p. 45. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. LOC 66-14354.
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