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Geometry of Chords
Thomas Noll
∗
Department of Computer ScienceTechnical University of BerlinNovember 4, 2001
Abstract
This article provides an introduction to basic geometric investigationsof the 12-tone sytem and its subsets, the chords. The various definitionsand results are intended to lay a theoretical basis for 12-tone-based explo-rative and empirical research on occidental harmony. The entire approachis motivated by the assumption that the 12 tones do not constitute an ar-bitrary 12-element
set 
with
arbitrary paradigmatic relations
, but rathera discrete geometrical space. Transpositions obviously are instances of paradigmatic relations, that are reflected by affine transformations. Fromthe mathematical point of view, the article presents a straightforwardelaboration of this observation. From the music theoretical point of viewit is of speculative nature and asks for experimental studies.
1 Tone Perspectives
Consider the ring
Z
12
of residue classes of integers modulo 12. Let
T
denotethe
12-tone module
- i.e.,
Z
12
understood as a module over itself. Its pointsare called
tones
.
1
Affine endomorphisms
f 
:
T
→
T
of the tone module arecalled
tone perspectives
. Each one is given by a multiplication factor
a
∈
Z
12
,together with a translation summand
b
∈
T
and we write
b
a
in order to denotethe corresponding tone perspective
b
a
:
T
→
T
with
b
a
(
t
) =
at
+
b
. The 144 toneperspectives form a monoid
A
with respect to the operation
◦
of concatenation.One has
d
c
◦
b
a
=
cb
+
d
(
ca
).There are 6 submodules
K 
⊆
T
, namely the two trivial ones:
T
and 0
T
=
{
0
}
and 4 proper submodules: 2
T
, 3
T
, 4
T
and 6
T
. For each submodule
K 
⊆
T
consider the submonoid
A
(
K 
) =
{
f 
∈
A
|
f 
(
K 
)
⊆
K 
}
of 
selfperspectives
of 
K 
,consiting of those tone perspectives mapping
K 
into itself. Furthermore, we will
∗
Interdisciplinary Research Group KIT-MaMuTh for Mathematical Music Theory financedby the Volkswagen-Stiftung
1
In a music theoretical application of this model one has to be more careful in dealing withthe meaning of the elements of 
T
. One might formally distinguish the carrier sets
Z
12
and
T
from one another in order to avoid confusion between scalar factors and tones.
1
 
be concerned with the factor module
T
/K 
, whoose elements are affine subspaces
t
+
K 
associated with
K 
.The following definition and lemma focus on the proper submodules 3
T
and 4
T
and the corresponding factor modules
T
/
3
T
and
T
/
4
T
.
Definition 1
(Outer decomposition of the 12-tone module)1. The factor module
T
3
:=
T
/
3
T
is called the
outer 3-cycle
of the 12-tonemodule
T
and its elements are called 
inner 4-cycles
or 
dimtones
.2. The factor module
T
4
:=
T
/
4
T
is called the
outer 4-cycle
of the 12-tonemodule
T
and its elements are called 
inner 3-cycles
or 
augtones
.3. The direct sum 
T
3
×
4
:=
T
3
⊕
T
4
is called the
outer decomposition
of the 12-tone-module.
Remark 1
The technical terms ”dimtone” and ”augtone” shall, on the onehand, refer to the traditional terms ”diminished seventh chord” and ”augmented triad”. On the other hand we do not intend to refer to the operations of diminu-tion and augmentation in this definition.
Lemma 1
Let 
?
3
and 
?
4
denote the projection maps from 
T
onto
T
3
and 
T
4
respectively and consider their product map
?
3
×
4
onto
T
3
×
4
, i.e.
?
3
:
T
→
T
3
with t
3
:=
t
+ 3
T
,
?
4
:
T
→
T
4
with t
4
:=
t
+ 4
T
,
?
3
×
4
:
T
→
T
3
×
4
with t
3
×
4
:= (
t
3
,t
4
)
.
Then the following holds:1. The tone perspectives
0
4
and 
0
9
induce module injections
?
∗
4
:
T
3
→
T
and 
?
∗
9
:
T
4
→
T
such that 
(?
∗
4
)
3
=
id
T
3
and 
(?
∗
9
)
4
=
id
T
4
.2.
?
3
×
4
is an isomorphism of 
Z
12
-modules. Its inverse map is given through 
(?
,
?)
∗
4
×∗
9
:
T
3
×
4
→
T
with 
(
t,s
)
∗
4
×∗
9
:= 4
t
+ 9
s
.
Proof:
1. The value
0
4(
t
+3
k
) = 4
t
does not depend on
k
, and, furthermore we have(4
t
)
3
=
t
3
. Similarily, the value
0
9(
t
+4
k
) = 9
t
does not depend on
k
, and(9
t
)
4
=
t
4
.2. ((
t,s
)
∗
4
×∗
9
)
3
×
4
= (4
t
+9
s
)
3
×
4
= (
t
+3(
t
+3
s
)
,s
+4(
t
+2
s
). The last pairrepresents the same element of 
T
3
×
4
as (
t,s
) does. Conversely, we have(
t
3
×
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
= (
t
3
,t
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
= (4
t
+ 9
t
) =
t
.
According to this lemma, one has a natural identification of the augtone-module
T
4
with the dimtone 3
T
=
{
0
,
3
,
6
,
9
}
as well as of the dimtone-module
T
3
withthe augtone 4
T
=
{
0
,
4
,
8
}
, such that they can be viewed as retracts of 
T
. The2
 
situation is different in the case of the two-element module
T
2
=
T
/
2
T
whencompared with the two-element tritone-chord 6
T
=
{
0
,
6
}
. They are isomorphicas
Z
12
-modules, but 6
T
is not a retract of 
T
. Analogously, 2
T
is not a retractof 
T
.
Definition 2
Let 
A
3
and 
A
4
denote the monoids of affine endomorphisms of the
Z
12
-modules
T
3
and 
T
4
respectively. The elements of 
A
3
are called 
dimtoneperspectives
and the elements of 
A
4
are called 
augtone perspectives
.Let 
A
3
×
4
:=
A
3
⊕
A
4
denote the direct product of the monoids
A
3
and 
A
4
. Itselements are called 
outer tone perspectives
.
Lemma 2
Each tone perspective
f 
∈
A
induces a dimtone perspective
f 
3
∈
A
3
as well as an augtone perspective
f 
4
∈
A
4
by virtue of 
f 
3
(
t
3
) := (
f 
(
t
))
3
and 
f 
4
(
t
4
) := (
f 
(
t
))
4
. The mappings
?
3
:
A
→
A
3
and 
?
4
:
A
→
A
4
are surjectivemonoid morphisms. Especially, the restriction of 
?
3
to
A
(4
T
)
(and of 
?
4
to
A
(3
T
)
) yields a monoid isomorphism 
A
(4
T
)
∼
=
A
3
(and 
A
(3
T
)
∼
=
A
4
).
Proof:
Take
f 
=
b
a
. Then
f 
3
((
t
+ 3
k
)
3
) = (
f 
(
t
+ 3
k
))
3
= (
a
(
t
+ 3
k
) +
b
)
3
= (
at
+
b
)
3
= (
f 
(
t
))
3
=
f 
3
(
t
3
)
.
Hence the definition of 
f 
3
does not depend on the representatives of an ar-gument. Further, (
f 
◦
g
)
3
(
t
3
) = (
f 
(
g
(
t
))
3
=
f 
3
((
g
(
t
))
3
) = (
f 
3
◦
g
3
)(
t
3
) andobviously (
0
1)
3
is the identity in
A
3
. Finally, two tone perspectives
b
a
and
d
c
induce the same dimtone perspective, if and only if both differences
b
−
d
and
a
−
c
are multiples of 3. An inspection of 
A
(4
T
) =
{
b
a
|
a,b
∈
0
,
4
,
8
}
shows thatthese nine tone perspectives represent nine different dimtone perspectives, justbecause 0
,
4
,
8 represent different residue classes modulo 3. Hence we are donewith
f 
3
. The same line of arguments works for
f 
4
.
The following lemma shows that tone perspectives are in a natural 1-1-correspondencewith the outer tone perspectives.
Lemma 3
The mapping 
?
3
×
4
:
A
→
A
3
×
4
with 
f 
3
×
4
:= (
f 
3
,f 
4
)
is an isomor-phism of monoids.
Proof:
We construct the inverse mapping ?
∗
4
×∗
9
:
A
3
×
4
→
A
as follows: Let
f 
=
b
+3
k
(
a
+ 3
l
) and
g
=
d
+4
m
(
c
+ 4
n
) be arbitrary representatives of anargument (
f 
3
,g
4
). Its image (
f 
3
,g
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
∈
A
has to be independent of thevariables
k,l,m,n
. Indeed, we set(
f 
3
,g
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
:=
4(
b
+3
k
)+9(
d
+4
m
)
(4(
a
+ 3
l
) + 9(
c
+ 4
n
)) =
4
b
+9
d
(4
a
+ 9
c
)
.
Hence the mapping is well-defined. Now we check that it is inverse to ?
3
×
4
.For
f 
=
b
a
and (
f 
3
,g
4
) = ((
b
a
)
3
,
(
d
c
)
4
) we compute,(
f 
3
×
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
= ((
b
a
)
3
,
(
b
a
)
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
=
4
b
+9
b
4
a
+ 9
a
=
b
a
=
f,
((
f 
3
,g
4
)
∗
4
×∗
9
)
3
×
4
= (
4
b
+9
d
4
a
+ 9
c
)
3
×
4
= ((
b
a
)
3
,
(
d
c
)
4
) = (
f 
3
,g
4
)
.
Finally, the product map ?
3
×
4
=?
3
×
?
4
:
A
→
A
3
⊕
A
4
is a monoid morphism,because its factors ?
3
:
A
→
A
3
and ?
4
:
A
→
A
4
are monoid morphisms.
3
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