Generalized Carlos scales

Research output: Contribution to journalCommentary

Abstract

In 1986, composer Wendy Carlos introduced three unusual musical scales she called alpha, beta and gamma: equal temperament-inspired scales that de-emphasize the octave as the primary interval in favor of the major and minor thirds and the perfect fifth. A derivation of the alpha, beta, and gamma scales due to David Benson is generalized to produce many Carlos-type scales.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)243-249
Number of pages7
JournalJournal of Mathematics and Music
Volume19
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 16 2025

Scopus Subject Areas

  • Modeling and Simulation
  • Music
  • Computational Mathematics
  • Applied Mathematics

Keywords

  • Carlos scales
  • Nonstandard scale
  • Wendy Carlos
  • alpha scale
  • beta scale
  • gamma scale

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