Bohlen–Pierce scale

Heinz Bohlen was curious why the octave should govern scales. After reading Paul Hindemith's explanation of tonality in The Craft of Musical Composition, Bohlen remained skeptical. He settled on combination tones as a model for a scale that would span a perfect twelfth. In 1972, Bohlen developed a version of the scale in just intonation and equal temperament. Bohlen wrote about his invention in 1978. That same year, software engineer Kees van Prooijen independently discovered the same scale. In 1984, John R. Pierce, Max Mathews, and Linda A. Roberts published their own discovery of the scale. Pierce was the primary investigator of the project. Like Bohlen, he was also an electronic engineer by trade. ==Structure==

. The equal tempered version of the BP scale only has 9 steps. Heinz Bohlen developed his own 9-step modes of the scale which he named after Greek letters. ==Music==

s. Mathews and Pierce were certain that the scale was conducive to clear and memorable melodies. They were indifferent about its potential for counterpoint and functional harmony. • Jon Appleton. • Richard Boulanger, Solemn Song for Evening (1990). • Georg Hajdu • Juan Reyes, ppP (1999–2000). • Ami Radunskaya, "A Wild and Reckless Place" (1990). • Charles Carpenter, Frog à la Pêche (1994) & Splat. • Elaine Walker, Stick Men (1991), Love Song, and Greater Good (2011). ==See also==