Kinds of scale
| Gapped scale
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Scale with less than seven notes per octave as found in our system. Not a good term because it implies that something is missing.
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| Pentatonic scale
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Five-note scale. This is a legitimate term but really tells us nothing except
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that there are five notes. The tonal pentatonic or anhemitonic pentatonic scale is a five-note scale with no semitones. It is fairly common throughout the world and corresponds roughly to the black notes on the piano.
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| Raga
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A term used in (East) Indian musicology that includes the concept of scale but also implies much more, such as the relationship of the notes and even melodic themes. Different ragas are associated with different concepts such as fire and the time of day.
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| Range
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The pitch difference between the lowest and highest notes used in a musical composition. This term is also used to describe the absolute highest and lowest notes normally sung by a certain voice (for example, tenor, soprano) or normally played on an instrument.
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| Tonal center
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The pitch around which the musical piece revolves.
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| Modulation
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Change of tonal center or key within a composition.
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