Hexachord

A hexachord is a collection of six musical notes. The term derives from the Greek word , a compound of ἕξ (hex, six) and χορδή (chordē).

Usage

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 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

• Hexatonic scale
• Musica ficta
• Guidonian hand
• Combinatoriality
• Hexachordal complementation
• 6-20, 6-34, 6-Z43, and 6-Z44

Sources

Further reading

• Rahn, John. 1980. Basic Atonal Theory. Longman Music Series. New York and London: Longman Inc. .
• Roeder, John. "Set (ii)". The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrrell. London: Macmillan Publishers, 2001.

External links

• Hexachords, solmization, and musica ficta