- Nov 13, 2006
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i know how to use it but i dont know
how create a circle of 12 tones? sry im beginner
someone help me ehehe....
how create a circle of 12 tones? sry im beginner

someone help me ehehe....

So I think I got the hold of this tone row approach, here's what I have learned.
Lets start with a 12 tone scale (i'm using A# instead of Bb just for now).
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Select 12 notes in any order, from what I have learned this is called Prime Zero (computers start a zero, why not this...)
1) Place numbers under each note in the 12 tone scale.
2) After you select your tone row, label the notes accordingly with their numbers.
G D# B A# G# A C E C# F F# D
7 3 11 10 8 9 0 4 1 5 6 2
Lets start with making an inversion out of this, called Inversion Zero (I0).
Here's the algorithm I used.
1) Place the first note from Prime Zero (P0) onto your new scale.
If this has already been done then use the last note you placed on
Inversion Zero as a starting point.
2) Look at Prime Zero, measure the distance between the first note in the scale and the next note. If this has already been done then measure the interval from the current note to the next.
3) Ask your self, is this an ascending or descending interval? If it is ascending, then the inversion will be descending; vise versa
Now starting at the current note count the exact same interval but in the opposing direction.
4) Go back to step 1 and repeat until all notes are used up, no notes should repeat.
Lets try it out!
Prime Zero :
G D# B A# G# A C E C# F F# D
7 3 11 10 8 9 0 4 1 5 6 2
Finding the first note...
Inversion Zero (starts with the first note in Prime Zero)
Step 1) G
Step 2) From G to D# is 4 half steps
Step 3) DESCENDING
Step 4) From G ASCENDING 4 half steps, G-G#-A-A#-B we have B.
This is our next note in the tone row, and it become the current not in Inversion Zero. Each dash is one half step
Step 1) Our current note in the inversion is B
Step 2) Look at Prime Zero, the second note is D#. From D# ASCENDING to B is 8 half steps (eight is enough, har har har)
Step 3) This is ASCENDING
Step 4) From B (in our inversion) DESCEND 8 half steps and we have D#
Step 1) Our current note in the inversion is D#
Step 2) Look at P0, the third note is B. From B to its next note A# is one half step.
Step 3) This is DESCENDING
Step 4) From D# in our inversion ASCEND up one half step to E.
Continue this until all twelve notes are completed. Take your time, I *thought* I had this down until I got half way through and my mind went into cruise control and I botched the whole thing.
Now the easy stuff, retrograde. Take Prime Zero and start at the end and work towards the front.
Retrograde of Prime Zero
D F# F C# E C A G# A# B D# G
Retrograde of Inversion Zero
C G# A C# A# D F F# E D# B G
Now throw these guys onto a clock.
C 12:00
G# 1:00
A
C#
A#
D
F
F#
E
D#
B
G 11:00
Do what you want from here. Like play all the triads. Or...Take time zones from your favorite states and play them. Look for triads and focus in on those. have funSomething like 12/8 time, thats C and E on our clock, WHOA that's almost a C major triad. So what time is it? 12/8/11 time! Tell that to your drummer and duck behind your half stack!
^ Ha, yeah, luckily for me, I didn't understand a word you wrote in your explanation, Jason.
But I, too, thought I had it down, but it turns out there was still more that I wasn't sure about. I'll have to read it over a few times. I think I'll post my 2nd 12 tone circle song (in the other thread), even though it's not finished, I've been avoiding it for awhile because I'm stuck.. oh well. I'll figure something out later.