System pentatonic

In music, a system pentatonic is a musical scale consisted of five heights of its different. To the etymological direction, pentatonic comes from the Greek penta who means five.

Generally, the word is used in a more restricted direction, to indicate a certain type of scale not comprising any interval of semitone. The ethnomusicologists call this system pentatonic anhemitonic , of the Greek ( year ), no, and ( hemi- ), half, to indicate the semitone.

They are for example the notes given by the black keys of the piano:

fa# - sol# - la# - do# - ré#

The system pentatonic in ethnomusicology

In fact, a great number of musics throughout the world use this type of scale. But according to Constantin Brăiloiu, which characterizes these musics is not only one certain scale (a whole of sounds) but also a particular manner to use it. Brăiloiu - which synthesizes work of several other researchers - thus speaks about system pentatonic .

The pycnon

The part ground-the-if of the scale has an particular importance:

it is separated from the remainder, on both sides, by the largest interval of the scale ( semi-ground = lord = 1 your and half).
it is the only continuation of intervals which arises only once (whereas D-semi-ground = the-if-D ; semi-ground it = if-D-semi , etc). For the listener, it is thus the principal benchmark inside the mode.

Brăiloiu proposes to call this section ground-the-if a pycnon (of the Greek pucnos who means tight; thick; extremely). It is thus by the pycnon that should begin the classification of the degrees. One would have as follows: ground - - if - D - mid- ground - - if -… 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - I - II - III -… That makes it possible to describe a melody by saying that it is in mode 1,2,4 etc, which means primarily that its most serious note is 1,2 or 4.

Pyens

Into the intervals separating the pycnon from the remainder ( semi-ground and lord ) slip sometimes of the “secondary and fluctuating” sounds, inherent nevertheless with the system. Brăiloiu calls them pyens (this time, the etymology returns to the Chinese musical theory). RE - SEMI - F - GROUND - the - IF - C

The pyens are secondary because:

they can appear or disappear from a version of the melody to another;
their height is fluctuating: C - C $\ sharp$ for one, and F - F $\ sharp$ for the other.
They more often fall over weak times than over key periods.

They generally appear in fact like passing notes or appoggiaturas.

Pentatonic range

The pentatonic range includes five notes, from where its name. Name " range pentatonique" is an abuse language due to a bad translation of German, " das Ton" wanting all at the same time to say the tone and the sound. Penta-tone would like to thus say 5 tons or 5 sounds. We can note that the exact translation would be pentaphonic which will correspond to a range of 5 sounds and nonpentatonic which would like to say range of 5 tons… The pentaphonic ranges are based on 5 sounds in fifth, brought back on only one octave. Ex: C - Ground - D - - Semi, giving the range C - D - Mid- Ground -

The minor pentatonic range includes the following intervals:

Tonic - minor third - quad - fifth - seventh minor.

For example, the range of pentatonic minor includes the notes, C, D, semi, ground. It is frequently employed in the majority of the musics, and is found in the rock'n'roll and the blues. The " formulation is found; pentatonic mineure" or " pentatonic mineur" according to whether the adjective applies to the range or a tonality (for example major C, minor D), but that returns to same.

A system pentatonic?

It is understood that, consequently, pentatonic indicates before a whole system - and not a simple scale. What makes the difference enters, for example, C-D-semi-F-ground-the-if-C and C - RE - SEMI - F - GROUND - the - IF - C it is that in the second case, one considers that C and F is pyens , and thus do not belong to the structure even of the melody.

Brăiloiu specifies another feature which justifies the existence of a Système pentatonic:

functional, as well harmonic indifference as melody, of its principles. Not only no “attraction” made there feel, but its 1,2,3,5,6 can each one act as interior or final rate, so that one would be misled seriously while wanting, at all costs, to assign a tonic to him , even a Fondamentale.

There are thus melodies which use more than five sounds but which are not less “pentatonic”. By contrast, certain scales of five sounds - but not respecting the principle of functional indifference - do not concern the “system pentatonic”.

Later research in ethnomusicology seems to show that the principles worked out by Brăiloiu apply in several different cultures. One would find this system in particular in China, Africa and Eastern Europe. It is however not proven that these similarities in the organization and the use the heights rise well from the same mental or cultural “system”. In other words, so from a descriptive point of view, the theory of Brăiloiu makes it possible to give an account of a great number of musics, it is not therefore certain than the system pentatonic has a direction other than theoretical.

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