The Exciting Universe Of Music Theory
presents

more than you ever wanted to know about...

Scale 1707: "Dorian Flat 2"

Scale 1707: Dorian Flat 2, Ian Ring Music Theory

Bracelet Diagram

The bracelet shows tones that are in this scale, starting from the top (12 o'clock), going clockwise in ascending semitones. The "i" icon marks imperfect tones that do not have a tone a fifth above. Dotted lines indicate axes of symmetry.

Tonnetz Diagram

Tonnetz diagrams are popular in Neo-Riemannian theory. Notes are arranged in a lattice where perfect 5th intervals are from left to right, major third are northeast, and major 6th intervals are northwest. Other directions are inverse of their opposite. This diagram helps to visualize common triads (they're triangles) and circle-of-fifth relationships (horizontal lines).

Common Names

Western Altered
Dorian Flat 2
Phrygian Sharp 6
Carnatic
Mela Natakapriya
Raga Natabharanam
Jazz and Blues
Jazz Minor Inverse
Western Mixed
Phrygian-Mixolydian
Unknown / Unsorted
Ahiri Todi
Indonesian
Javanese Pelog
Pelog
Zeitler
Mixolythian
Dozenal
JANian
Carnatic Melakarta
Natakapriya
Carnatic Numbered Melakarta
10th Melakarta raga

Analysis

Cardinality

Cardinality is the count of how many pitches are in the scale.

 7 (heptatonic)

Pitch Class Set

The tones in this scale, expressed as numbers from 0 to 11

 {0,1,3,5,7,9,10}

Forte Number

A code assigned by theorist Allen Forte, for this pitch class set and all of its transpositional (rotation) and inversional (reflection) transformations.

 7-34

Rotational Symmetry

Some scales have rotational symmetry, sometimes known as "limited transposition". If there are any rotational symmetries, these are the intervals of periodicity.

 none

Reflection Axes

If a scale has an axis of reflective symmetry, then it can transform into itself by inversion. It also implies that the scale has Ridge Tones. Notably an axis of reflection can occur directly on a tone or half way between two tones.

 [5]

Palindromicity

A palindromic scale has the same pattern of intervals both ascending and descending.

 no

Chirality

A chiral scale can not be transformed into its inverse by rotation. If a scale is chiral, then it has an enantiomorph.

 no

Hemitonia

A hemitone is two tones separated by a semitone interval. Hemitonia describes how many such hemitones exist.

 2 (dihemitonic)

Cohemitonia

A cohemitone is an instance of two adjacent hemitones. Cohemitonia describes how many such cohemitones exist.

 0 (ancohemitonic)

Imperfections

An imperfection is a tone which does not have a perfect fifth above it in the scale. This value is the quantity of imperfections in this scale.

 3

Modes

Modes are the rotational transformations of this scale. This number includes the scale itself, so the number is usually the same as its cardinality; unless there are rotational symmetries then there are fewer modes.

 7

Prime Form

Describes if this scale is in prime form, using the Starr/Rahn algorithm.

 no
prime: 1371

Generator

Indicates if the scale can be constructed using a generator, and an origin.

 none

Deep Scale

A deep scale is one where the interval vector has 6 different digits, an indicator of maximum hierarchization.

 no

Interval Structure

Defines the scale as the sequence of intervals between one tone and the next.

 [1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 2]

Interval Vector

Describes the intervallic content of the scale, read from left to right as the number of occurences of each interval size from semitone, up to six semitones.

 <2, 5, 4, 4, 4, 2>

Proportional Saturation Vector

First described by Michael Buchler (2001), this is a vector showing the prominence of intervals relative to the maximum and minimum possible for the scale's cardinality. A saturation of 0 means the interval is present minimally, a saturation of 1 means it is the maximum possible.

<0, 0.75, 0.5, 0.333, 0.5, 0.5>

Interval Spectrum

The same as the Interval Vector, but expressed in a syntax used by Howard Hanson.

 p4m4n4s5d2t2

Distribution Spectra

Describes the specific interval sizes that exist for each generic interval size. Each generic <g> has a spectrum {n,...}. The Spectrum Width is the difference between the highest and lowest values in each spectrum.

<1> = {1,2}
<2> = {3,4}
<3> = {4,5,6}
<4> = {6,7,8}
<5> = {8,9}
<6> = {10,11}

Spectra Variation

Determined by the Distribution Spectra; this is the sum of all spectrum widths divided by the scale cardinality.

 1.143

Maximally Even

A scale is maximally even if the tones are optimally spaced apart from each other.

 no

Maximal Area Set

A scale is a maximal area set if a polygon described by vertices dodecimetrically placed around a circle produces the maximal interior area for scales of the same cardinality. All maximally even sets have maximal area, but not all maximal area sets are maximally even.

 yes

Interior Area

Area of the polygon described by vertices placed for each tone of the scale dodecimetrically around a unit circle, ie a circle with radius of 1.

2.665

Polygon Perimeter

Perimeter of the polygon described by vertices placed for each tone of the scale dodecimetrically around a unit circle.

6.035

Myhill Property

A scale has Myhill Property if the Distribution Spectra have exactly two specific intervals for every generic interval.

 no

Balanced

A scale is balanced if the distribution of its tones would satisfy the "centrifuge problem", ie are placed such that it would balance on its centre point.

 no

Ridge Tones

Ridge Tones are those that appear in all transpositions of a scale upon the members of that scale. Ridge Tones correspond directly with axes of reflective symmetry.

 [10]

Propriety

Also known as Rothenberg Propriety, named after its inventor. Propriety describes whether every specific interval is uniquely mapped to a generic interval. A scale is either "Proper", "Strictly Proper", or "Improper".

Proper

Heteromorphic Profile

Defined by Norman Carey (2002), the heteromorphic profile is an ordered triple of (c, a, d) where c is the number of contradictions, a is the number of ambiguities, and d is the number of differences. When c is zero, the scale is Proper. When a is also zero, the scale is Strictly Proper.

(0, 10, 72)

Coherence Quotient

The Coherence Quotient is a score between 0 and 1, indicating the proportion of coherence failures (ambiguity or contradiction) in the scale, against the maximum possible for a cardinality. A high coherence quotient indicates a less complex scale, whereas a quotient of 0 indicates a maximally complex scale.

0.929

Sameness Quotient

The Sameness Quotient is a score between 0 and 1, indicating the proportion of differences in the heteromorphic profile, against the maximum possible for a cardinality. A higher quotient indicates a less complex scale, whereas a quotient of 0 indicates a scale with maximum complexity.

0.429

Tertian Harmonic Chords

Tertian chords are made from alternating members of the scale, ie built from "stacked thirds". Not all scales lend themselves well to tertian harmony.

Generator

This scale has no generator.

Common Triads

These are the common triads (major, minor, augmented and diminished) that you can create from members of this scale.

* Pitches are shown with C as the root

Triad TypeTriad*Pitch ClassesDegreeEccentricityCloseness Centrality
Major TriadsD♯{3,7,10}231.71
F{5,9,0}231.71
Minor Triadscm{0,3,7}231.71
a♯m{10,1,5}231.71
Augmented TriadsC♯+{1,5,9}231.71
Diminished Triadsg°{7,10,1}231.71
a°{9,0,3}231.71
Parsimonious Voice Leading Between Common Triads of Scale 1707. Created by Ian Ring ©2019 cm cm D# D# cm->D# a° a° cm->a° C#+ C#+ F F C#+->F a#m a#m C#+->a#m g° g° D#->g° F->a° g°->a#m

Above is a graph showing opportunities for parsimonious voice leading between triads*. Each line connects two triads that have two common tones, while the third tone changes by one generic scale step.

Diameter3
Radius3
Self-Centeredyes

Modes

Modes are the rotational transformation of this scale.Scale 1707 can be rotated to make 6 other scales. The 1st mode is itself.

2nd mode:
Scale 2901		Scale 2901: Lydian Augmented, Ian Ring Music TheoryLydian Augmented
3rd mode:
Scale 1749		Scale 1749: Acoustic, Ian Ring Music TheoryAcoustic
4th mode:
Scale 1461		Scale 1461: Major-Minor, Ian Ring Music TheoryMajor-Minor
5th mode:
Scale 1389		Scale 1389: Minor Locrian, Ian Ring Music TheoryMinor Locrian
6th mode:
Scale 1371		Scale 1371: Superlocrian, Ian Ring Music TheorySuperlocrianThis is the prime mode
7th mode:
Scale 2733		Scale 2733: Melodic Minor Ascending, Ian Ring Music TheoryMelodic Minor Ascending

Prime

The prime form of this scale is Scale 1371

Scale 1371Scale 1371: Superlocrian, Ian Ring Music TheorySuperlocrian

Complement

The heptatonic modal family [1707, 2901, 1749, 1461, 1389, 1371, 2733] (Forte: 7-34) is the complement of the pentatonic modal family [597, 681, 1173, 1317, 1353] (Forte: 5-34)

Inverse

The inverse of a scale is a reflection using the root as its axis. The inverse of 1707 is 2733

Scale 2733Scale 2733: Melodic Minor Ascending, Ian Ring Music TheoryMelodic Minor Ascending

Hierarchizability

Based on the work of Niels Verosky, hierarchizability is the measure of repeated patterns with "place-finding" remainder bits, applied recursively to the binary representation of a scale. For a full explanation, read Niels' paper, Hierarchizability as a Predictor of Scale Candidacy. The variable k is the maximum number of remainders allowed at each level of recursion, for them to count as an increment of hierarchizability. A high hierarchizability score is a good indicator of scale candidacy, ie a measure of usefulness for producing pleasing music. There is a strong correlation between scales with maximal hierarchizability and scales that are in popular use in a variety of world musical traditions.

kHierarchizabilityBreakdown PatternDiagram
111101010101101707k = 1h = 1
221(10)(10)(10)(10)1(10)1707k = 2h = 2
33([1]0[1])0([1]0[1])01([1]0[1])1707k = 3h = 3
421([10][10])([10][10])1101707k = 4h = 2
521([10][10])([10][10])1101707k = 5h = 2

Transformations:

In the abbreviation, the subscript number after "T" is the number of semitones of tranposition, "M" means the pitch class is multiplied by 5, and "I" means the result is inverted. Operation is an identical way to express the same thing; the syntax is <a,b> where each tone of the set x is transformed by the equation y = ax + b. A note about the multipliers: multiplying by 1 changes nothing, multiplying by 11 produces the same result as inversion. 5 is the only non-degenerate multiplier, with the multiplier 7 producing the inverse of 5.

Abbrev Operation Result Abbrev Operation Result
T0 <1,0> 1707       T0I <11,0> 2733
T1 <1,1> 3414      T1I <11,1> 1371
T2 <1,2> 2733      T2I <11,2> 2742
T3 <1,3> 1371      T3I <11,3> 1389
T4 <1,4> 2742      T4I <11,4> 2778
T5 <1,5> 1389      T5I <11,5> 1461
T6 <1,6> 2778      T6I <11,6> 2922
T7 <1,7> 1461      T7I <11,7> 1749
T8 <1,8> 2922      T8I <11,8> 3498
T9 <1,9> 1749      T9I <11,9> 2901
T10 <1,10> 3498      T10I <11,10> 1707
T11 <1,11> 2901      T11I <11,11> 3414
Abbrev Operation Result Abbrev Operation Result
T0M <5,0> 2607      T0MI <7,0> 3723
T1M <5,1> 1119      T1MI <7,1> 3351
T2M <5,2> 2238      T2MI <7,2> 2607
T3M <5,3> 381      T3MI <7,3> 1119
T4M <5,4> 762      T4MI <7,4> 2238
T5M <5,5> 1524      T5MI <7,5> 381
T6M <5,6> 3048      T6MI <7,6> 762
T7M <5,7> 2001      T7MI <7,7> 1524
T8M <5,8> 4002      T8MI <7,8> 3048
T9M <5,9> 3909      T9MI <7,9> 2001
T10M <5,10> 3723      T10MI <7,10> 4002
T11M <5,11> 3351      T11MI <7,11> 3909

The transformations that map this set to itself are: T0, T10I

Nearby Scales:

These are other scales that are similar to this one, created by adding a tone, removing a tone, or moving one note up or down a semitone.

Scale 1705Scale 1705: Raga Manohari, Ian Ring Music TheoryRaga Manohari
Scale 1709Scale 1709: Dorian, Ian Ring Music TheoryDorian
Scale 1711Scale 1711: Adonai Malakh, Ian Ring Music TheoryAdonai Malakh
Scale 1699Scale 1699: Raga Rasavali, Ian Ring Music TheoryRaga Rasavali
Scale 1703Scale 1703: Mela Vanaspati, Ian Ring Music TheoryMela Vanaspati
Scale 1715Scale 1715: Harmonic Minor Inverse, Ian Ring Music TheoryHarmonic Minor Inverse
Scale 1723Scale 1723: JG Octatonic, Ian Ring Music TheoryJG Octatonic
Scale 1675Scale 1675: Raga Salagavarali, Ian Ring Music TheoryRaga Salagavarali
Scale 1691Scale 1691: Kathian, Ian Ring Music TheoryKathian
Scale 1739Scale 1739: Mela Sadvidhamargini, Ian Ring Music TheoryMela Sadvidhamargini
Scale 1771Scale 1771: Stylyllic, Ian Ring Music TheoryStylyllic
Scale 1579Scale 1579: Sagimic, Ian Ring Music TheorySagimic
Scale 1643Scale 1643: Locrian Natural 6, Ian Ring Music TheoryLocrian Natural 6
Scale 1835Scale 1835: Byptian, Ian Ring Music TheoryByptian
Scale 1963Scale 1963: Epocryllic, Ian Ring Music TheoryEpocryllic
Scale 1195Scale 1195: Raga Gandharavam, Ian Ring Music TheoryRaga Gandharavam
Scale 1451Scale 1451: Phrygian, Ian Ring Music TheoryPhrygian
Scale 683Scale 683: Stogimic, Ian Ring Music TheoryStogimic
Scale 2731Scale 2731: Neapolitan Major, Ian Ring Music TheoryNeapolitan Major
Scale 3755Scale 3755: Phryryllic, Ian Ring Music TheoryPhryryllic

This scale analysis was created by Ian Ring, Canadian Composer of works for Piano, and total music theory nerd. Scale notation generated by VexFlow and Lilypond, graph visualization by Graphviz, audio by TiMIDIty and FFMPEG. All other diagrams and visualizations are © Ian Ring. Some scale names used on this and other pages are ©2005 William Zeitler (http://allthescales.org) used with permission.

Pitch spelling algorithm employed here is adapted from a method by Uzay Bora, Baris Tekin Tezel, and Alper Vahaplar. (An algorithm for spelling the pitches of any musical scale) Contact authors Patent owner: Dokuz Eylül University, Used with Permission. Contact TTO

Tons of background resources contributed to the production of this summary; for a list of these peruse this Bibliography. Special thanks to Richard Repp for helping with technical accuracy, and George Howlett for assistance with the Carnatic ragas.

(cached)