Octaves can have five whole notes and two halftones {diatonic scale}|. Diatonic scales used other note spacing in 1600s but now are only major or minor scales.
Diatonic scales {major scale}| can have intervals tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone-tone-semitone and sound lighter and brighter.
Diatonic scales {minor scale}| can have intervals tone-semitone-tone-tone-semitone-tone-tone and sound heavier and darker.
Equal temperament scales have no sharps or flats {open key} {C key} {key of C}, one sharp note, one flat note, and so on.
The twelve acoustically correct diatonic-scale intervals do not make exact octaves, missing by one quartertone {Pythagorean comma}. To fit intervals into octaves, different keys {mode, Greek music} use different interval series, with different spacing between tones and semitones, so keys sound different.
Diatonic scales can start on first note {fundamental, music} {tonic, tone} {key, diatonic}.
Major diatonic scales have tone {dominant tone}| a fifth above tonic, in frequency ratio 3:2.
Major diatonic scales have tone {subdominant tone}| a fourth above tonic, in frequency ratio 4:3.
Major diatonic scales have tone {leading tone}| seventh above tonic, in frequency ratio 9:5 or 15:8.
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Date Modified: 2022.0225