Re: Melodies move by step in any form of music?

"Alain Naigeon" <anaigeon@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message 
news:48406765$0$27224$426a74cc@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> Tom, where is it written that a scale must have 7 notes, or more than 
> four,
> or that it should contain at least one interval not greater than some 
> inferior
> limit, or..?
> In other words, I'm not necessarly disagreeing with your answer, but I'd
> then ask : how can we turn our common feeling of a scale to a rational
> definition ?
>

It seems to me that a scale is a theoretical idea - a collection of 
pitch-cl***** serving as a reference for a body of music.  While
personally 
I would prefer that it be limited to a subset of the chromatic whole the 
term "chromatic scale" or even "twelve-tone scale" has been in common
usage, 
so the upper limitation is apparently 12 for 12 TET music.

As far as the lower limitation is concerned, I would argue that there is a

large body of music employing pentatonic scales - but not anything
smaller. 
So if you can show the 4 tone (especially o7) music, I would revise that 
opinion.

So a  "rational definition" would be 5~12 notes; IMHO, a more useful one 
would be 5~8 notes as that encomp***** the largest body of non-chromatic 
music.

Tom K.