Since the 11th century, hexachords have been used in music pedagogy.
Guido of Arezzo is the nominal creator of a
learning system that relied on a six-note scale to facilitate rapid learning of melodies. Hexachord also could refer to the
musical interval of a
sixth. , in cello, which opens
Die Jakobsleiter by
Arnold Schoenberg, notable for its compositional use of hexachordsIn the 20th century, music theorists broadened the definition of the hexachord into any collection of six notes. The notes did not need to be contiguous members of a scale or tone row.
David Lewin used the term in this sense as early as 1959.
Carlton Gamer uses hexachord and hexad interchangeably. ==See also==