The δ (delta) scale is a non-octave repeating
musical scale
In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale.
Often, especially in t ...
. It may be regarded as the
beta scale's reciprocal, since it is "as far 'down' the (
0 3 6 9) circle from
α as β is 'up'".
[Taruskin, Richard (1996). ''Stravinsky and the Russian Traditions: A Biography of the Works through Mavra'', p. 1394. .] As such it would split the
minor second
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically.
It is defined as the interval between two adjacent no ...
(presumably 16:15) into eight equal parts of approximately 14 cents each . This would total approximately 85.7 steps per octave.
The
scale step may also precisely be derived from using 50:28 (25:14, 1003.8 cents, A, ) to approximate the interval , which equals
6:5 (E, 315.64 cents, ). Thus the step is approximately 13.946 cents, and there are 86.049 steps per octave.
:
()
The
Bohlen–Pierce delta scale is based on the
tritave and the 7:5:3 "wide"
triad () and the 9:7:5 "narrow" triad () (rather than the conventional 4:5:6 triad). Notes include:
"What about BP tonality?"
''The Bohlen-Pierce Site''.
: 1:1
:25:21
: 9:7
:75:49
: 5:3
: 9:5
: 15:7
: 7:3
: 25:9
: 3:1
See also
* Alpha scale
The α (alpha) scale is a non-octave-repeating musical scale invented by Wendy Carlos and first used on her album '' Beauty in the Beast'' (1986). It is derived from approximating just intervals using multiples of a single interval, but without r ...
* Beta scale
* Gamma scale
References
Further reading
* Bohlen, Heinz
"13 Tonstufen in der Duodezime"
''Acustica'', vol. 39 no. 2, S. Hirzel Verlag, Stuttgart, 1978, pp. 76–86.
Equal temperaments
Non–octave-repeating scales
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