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See also: Range

In the Music, a range is the whole of the notes which a melody can use, or which an instrument plays.

To represent this unit and to discuss the Tonality, i.e. the structural relationship between notes, one conventionally represents the succession of different the notes from a scale, on the extent of a octave, the notes emitted in the higher or lower octaves being represented by their homonyms in the octave of reference.

General information

One of the principal characteristics of the its S musical is their “height”, concept relative to which our ear is sensitive and which the experiment makes correspond to their Fréquence, physical size measurable and likely to be treated by the Calcul.

If this physical size is known only since less than two hundred years, that did not prevent the theorists of the music, since the Antiquité, to put in report/ratio the sounds and the Nombre S, because they had noticed that the height of the sound emitted by a vibrating cord or a sound pipe depended directly on their length (cf Rationalization and mathematisation of the music). One can show today that the frequency of the sounds emitted by these bodies is in opposite proportion these lengths, and consequently, the Mathématicien S of the past had been able to reason in a correct way on the Acoustique in spite of their ignorance of the theory of the vibratory phenomena and the standing waves.

One for a long time recognized the principle of the equivalence of the octaves, according to which two sounds whose frequencies are in a ratio from 1 to 2 “sound” in a so comparable way that one gives to such notes the same name.

The octave being recognized like the the simplest interval sound, it remains to divide it into smaller intervals because it does not make it possible him to only compose of the music. To define a musical range, it is thus to define a method to divide the octave into smaller sound intervals. Although the spectrum of the sound frequencies is continuous in the interval of octave, one generally does not use sounds of completely arbitrary frequency, and this as well for musical reasons as for technical reasons related to the instruments with fixed sounds. NB The instruments called “to fixed sounds” are those which can emit only one limited number of sounds predetermined heights, and not of the sounds arbitrary height: thus the piano (a sound by key) in opposition to the violin.

There exists an infinity of methods to cut out an octave in smaller intervals. But all these methods are not interesting:

  • the number of intervals must be relatively weak, or else each one of them is too small and the successive notes obtained are brought closer too much to be discernible by the ear;
  • the “panoply” of selected intervals must correspond to notes which can be combined ( i.e.: Played at the same time, ) between them without irritating harmonizes some the listener. (concepts of Consonance or Harmony and Dissonance);
  • the intervals owe, if not being rigorously identical, at least to divide the octave in a sufficiently regular way to allow the Transposition.

In the Western music, three types of particular ranges knew, with their possible alternatives, an important fortune:

Besides they constitute between them sufficiently nearby musical systems (that is to say 12 Demi-ton S by octave) to make it possible to carry out a musical work in any of these systems without deforming it in a too significant way.

Range, a melody prototype

Generally, it is the melody component which prevails in the concept of range: this one are thus regarded as a succession of notes - ascending succession , except contrary mention - and they are the melody intervals and joint which is taken into account.

For example, in the range “ C, D, semi, F, ground, if, C ”, these intervals are: two your S, a Semitone, three let us tons, a semitone.

  • For more information on let us tons and semitones of the Western range traditional, to consult the articles diatonic Échelle and chromatic Échelle.

Range, a musical environment

The word range can however be employed in the direction of a musical environment, holding account, not only of the melody, but also of the Harmonie.

For example, the expression “ range of major C ” is equivalent to “ Tonalité of major C ”.

  • When the degree S of a scale are treated on a hierarchical basis, they are the interval S between each note of the range and the fundamental note - i.e., the tonic of the tonal Système, or the final of the modal system - which is taken into account.

For example, in the range “ C, D, semi, F, ground, if, C ” having C for tonic, these intervals are respectively: the unison, the second, the third , the quad, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh and the octave.

  • For more information on the ranges of other musical systems, to consult the article List of the ranges.

Range, a scale of frequencies

That the word is taken in an exclusively melody direction, or, in a broader direction of musical environment , a range must be agreement ée. The Juste Frequency of the various degrees of a range, is a delicate question which found solutions different according to the Type from music, the instruments or the times.

See too

Internal bonds

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