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Modes of Limitless Inspiration - Part 1
Page 1 2 3 4 a Stickschrift for Emmett Chapman about his "Offset Modal System" by Sean Malone The title of this article alludes to the designation given by composer-theorist Olivier Messiaen to scales such as the whole-tone and octatonic, as being "Modes of Limited Transposition." The distinction of being "limited" is due to the parallel arrangement of intervals in each mode, limiting the number of possible transpositions. In the case of the whole-tone scale, there are two, and in the case of the octatonic scale, there are three. This illusrates the finite nature of modality: there are a limited number of combinations available when we decide to rotate the intervals of a scale, so in a sense when we discuss modality, there is "nothing new under the sun." However, the OMS isn’t merely a collection of modes as it is a description of relationships between modes, the potential of their extension ("offsets"), and the seemingly limitless possibilities found in their combination. What is a "mode", anyway? The Church Modes First, we can divide modes into two categories: modes that are like a major scale (with a natural scale degree 3), and modes that are like a minor scale (with a lowered scale degree 3). In most cases only one other scale degree is changed. | ||
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