Terms and Definitions
In his analysis, Lendvaï groups the twelve tones of the chromatic scale into three sets; each set of tones contains those notes that are found at intervals of a minor third and tritone from one another (equivalent to the notes that make up the three possible diminished seventh chords). Thus, there are four notes in each of the three sets, sets which Lendvaï refers to as axes. By way of analogy with common practice harmony, the three axes are categorised as tonic, subdominant, and dominant.
Tones related to each other by the interval of a tritone are said to be part of a pair or branch (e.g. C/F#, Eb/A, etc.). Thus, each of the three axes contains two branches, and are further categorised as either the 'principal' or 'secondary' branch of axes in question. Continuing with the language of axes, the members of each branch are known as “pole and counterpole”. Thus, the twelve tones of the chromatic scale are identified in a two-part system of categorisation: each tone is a member of a four note axis (tonic, dominant, and subdominant); each tone is part of a branch within that axis that is either the principal or secondary branch of that axis; and each branch consists a pole and counterpole.
If 'C' is taken as tonic, then the categoristation proceeds as follows:
| Tonic | Subdominant | Dominant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary | Primary | Secondary |
| C, F♯, | A, D♯, | F, B, | D, G♯, | G, C♯, | E, A♯ |
Read more about this topic: Axis System
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