MusicianCV · TRThe whole-tone collection
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Scale families and changes
A whole-tone collection moves by whole steps and contains six distinct pitch classes per octave. Without semitone steps, familiar major-minor leading-tone relationships change.
Explore its sound with a repeated bass or rhythmic motive. A pedal can establish a point of reference even without conventional dominant-tonic motion. The collection alone does not determine the form.
Example
C–D–E–F♯–G♯–A♯–C.
The whole-tone collectionC D E F♯ G♯ A♯
Try it
How many distinct pitch classes result from whole steps starting on C?
Answer
Six; the upper C repeats the starting pitch class.Related topics
Five-note scales: pentatonic · Modes: pitch collection and centreReferences
Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom
Subject-expert review pending.