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Re: [sc-users] question about scale degrees in patterns



> On 30.12.2017, at 12:32, stefaan.himpe@xxxxxxxxx wrote:
> 
> ddw_music wrote
>> 
>> shiihs wrote
>>> As I found out recently, to my surprise, a scale degree behaves
>>> counterintuitive in patterns.
>>> By adding +/- 0.1, you add/subtract a semitone.
>>> What is the rationale for not making 0.5 the note that sounds exactly
>>> half-way 0 and 1 (which can be different depending on the scale, octave,
>>> tuning, ...)?
>> Because you can't assume that 2 will always be the largest number of
>> chromatic divisions between scale degrees. For instance, in C harmonic
>> minor, there's Ab (degree 5 in SC) and B-natural (degree 6). What would
>> 5.5 be in this case?
>> 
>> It's really necessary to be able to distinguish between "up a chromatic
>> unit" and "down a chromatic unit.”

In sclang, by convention, fractional degrees represent accidentals which are measured by semitones. This is just a convenient way to express deviations from a given scale. It is really just a way to be able to implement notation like 3b or 7s.

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