Octatonic Scales

(Note: Midi files of many of the examples are included at this site. To learn how to play these files on your machine, go to Midi Setup.)
An octatonic scale consists of alternating whole and half steps. It is an eight-tone scale; that is, eight tones are required to fill in the octave. According to McHose, the octatonic scale was first used by Rimski-Korsakov. His student, Igor Stravinsky used it extensively, especially in the Rite of Spring.

Contents

Scale Resources

Chord Resources Sample Passages Copyright © 1996, Kenneth R. Rumery, all rights reserved. Revised May 8, 1996

Special thanks to Randy Wood (homepage), NAU Computer Technology Services, and Charles Kelly (homepage), Aitech Institute, for helping with MIDI playback and load-time strategies.



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