Circle Of 12 Tones update I came up with this system after getting bored and uninspired with the normal

theoretic writing systems that I've been using for decades, and wanted to come up with a new writing tool. fter ma!ing contact with le" #ebster about starting a pro$ect, I really was up for something else. %or wee!s, I was rac!ing my brain trying to figure out a different way of using notes. I sat for & hours straight on a flight to 'awaii with paper and pencil in hand playing around with various note patterns, schemes, and anything to brea! out of my normal writing habits, but came up with nothing. %or some people, using the same scales and patterns repeatedly wor!s fine, but for me, I wanted a new toy to play with, a different way of using our 12 tones. Of course, I wanted to use all 12 tones so I could have lots of possiblities and options, but have some sort of structure and boundaries. fter pretty much giving up, I was $ust goofing off around the house one day, mindlessly thin!ing about various common, simple, theoretic musical patterns, and stumbled onto the (Circle Of )ths(. #hat is the (Circle Of )ths(* It's a cloc! loo!ing diagram that spells out the ma$or scales in )ths moving cloc!wise and countercloc!wise starting with C at 12+,,. To the right of C at 1+,, is -, then on to ., , / etc... 0oving to the left from C are % at 11+,,, 1b at 1,+,,, /b, b, etc... -oing cloc!wise is moving up a )th note by note, going countercloc!wise is moving down a )th. It loo!s li!e this...

I've always been a believer of learning as many rules as possible, then bend, abuse, and brea! them. 2o how about we $ust throw all the notes anywhere on the (cloc!(**3 #hat would that sound li!e* #ell, of course it depends where you throw the notes. Isn't that what a 12 tone row is* 4eah, and I've done that numerous times before, so what's so different about laying the notes out on a (cloc!(* It creates patterns, 5OT2 of different patterns. nd they all lead to different chords, scales, and note clusters.

'ere's a bunch of various patterns that I came up with. The most common groupings to wor! with are... Two 6 note groups Three 7 note groups %our 8 note groups

9ow to spell out scales and chords correctly, all notes are enharmonically e:ual. %or e"ample, a .; is the same thing as an /b, an %; is a -b, etc... This helps when grouping the notes to form more common chords, scales, etc...

'ere's the (!ey( <the order that the notes are in on the cloc!= for the song (2ynaptic >lasticity(

If you mar! off every 8rd note, you get this pattern of dots...

...resulting in these note groups. 1lue dots ? 1 / % %; @ed dots ? b C . /b 4ellow dots ? - 1b .b The first grouping 1 / % %; hints at a 1 minor blues scale, b C . /b is an b ma$or chord with a ;7 <for all you 5ydian fans= - 1b .b is a - diminished triad with a 02

2o now let's mar! off 8 notes in a row starting with the C at 12+,,, then go across and grab the 8 notes across the cloc!. It loo!s li!e this...

@ed dots ? C C; .; / %; -; <almost a full halfAwhole tone scale= 1lue dots ? -; 1b 1 . % <a -; diminished B chord with chromatics between -; and 1= 'ere's what I came up with for this certain note scheme... 2ynaptic >lasticity C tune 2 #indows 0edia @eal udio

nd sometimes you even end up with very common chords. This one is very cool because $ust about everyone loves chords a diminished )th away. This has two sets3

@ed dots ? /b -b 1b <an /b minor triad= 1lue dots ? C / <an minor triad= 4ellow dots ? .b % b <a .b ma$or triad= -ray dots ? - 1 . <a - ma$or triad= If you can't ma!e up a cool tune with this chord progression, please refer bac! to (heavy metal writing 1,1(...

2o are you thin!ing that this system is too limiting because it's so symmetrical* 9ah3, chec! this out... nother way of using the notes on a (cloc!( is to play notes consecutively, going in either direction. Dind of li!e the old steroids video game.

%or the song (@./.0(., the song starts off on the note % at )+,,, then only moves to the ne"t note cloc!wise or countercloc!wise. 4ou can play notes any octave you want, have rests, and repeat any notes, but 9O 2DI>>I9-333

nd so if you're happy and content with your writing, great. 1ut if you're tired of using the same diatonic progressions using I IE E I, vi ii E I, vi E IE E, with their e"tensions, the same old harmonic minor scale, or the ever popular metal chord progressions using /m . and C, give this system a shot. 2o how many different ways can you lay out the 12 tones on a cloc!* TO9233 'ow many different patterns can you come up with* >robably a hundred or so. nd how many cool tunes can you ma!e up using this system while being creative, but totally structured and in control* The possibilities are endless... About a year ago, I introduced a musical writing system called The Circle Of 12 Tones that was used to compose most of the material for my latest project lotted !cience " The #achinations Of $ementia%& !ince then, I ha'e recei'ed lots of emails from fans(musicians informing me that they are currently using the system to write their own material, and are ha'ing success& And of course I%'e also been informed by a few people who are leading themsel'es to belie'e that the system is !choenberg)s method where a 12 tone row is chosen, then is used in retrograde, in'ersion and retrograde in'ersion forms& The only similarity between *The Circle Of 12 Tones+ and !choenberg%s system is all 12 tones are used& That%s it& ,ot once in my e-planation of the )Circle Of 12 Tones) system do I use the phrases(words *a note cannot be repeated until e'ery other note is played, in'ersion, retrograde, or retrograde in'ersion& I guess some people see the words *12 Tone+, then don%t bother to read or understand the rest of the entire thing& The only thing you need to do to use .The Circle Of 12 Tones. is ha'e a bit of an imagination to create patterns on a .cloc/., and to use the system with effect 0or ma/e the most of it1 is ha'e an understanding of basic music theory 0inter'als, notes in certain /eys(scales, chords, etc21& And if all of this te-t with numbers and letters is too much to handle and grasp, just watch the 'ideos2 3hat the system does is group up notes in 'arious set combinations, while gi'ing you the total freedom to do whate'er you want with the notes& ,ormal chord progressions go out the window, chords with dissonance do not ha'e to resol'e, new artificial scales(chords(clusters pop up, it goes on and on2 I thought I had thoroughly e-plained the purpose and use of the system before, but maybe I didn%t ha'e enough clear e-amples of how the notes can be grouped and used in tunes& !o let%s try again with a bit of 'isuals synced to the audio& !o turn on your spea/ers, and let%s gi'e it another shot&

3hen laying the 12 tones on the *cloc/+, I try to arrange the notes so that I find lots of cool note patterns that create different tonality, so that the song will ha'e lots of different *coloring+& Once you get your groups of notes wor/ed out with 'arious 'isual patterns, you can play the notes as many times as you want, in any pattern, repeat them as you li/e in any order, etc2

This is how the tones are placed on the cloc/ for a lotted !cience song called 4aser 4obotomy%& 5ach song on the lotted !cience C$ has a different */ey+, or way that the 12 tones are arranged on the cloc/&

The first tune in 4aser 4obotomy% has the wor/ing title of hi6hat 17ths%& The 12 tones are bro/en down into 2 groups of 7 notes& 8roup 1 starts at 129::, and goes down to ;9::, gi'ing you the notes C $ 5b < <= 8& ,otice that this group of notes 0in blue1 will gi'e you a minor blues tonality& 3hy>, because all of the notes fit into C minor(blues scale& Again, if you don%t /now basic theory, you will not /now why these certain notes were put together& 8roup 2 0in green1 starts at 79:: and goes up to 119::, gi'ing you the notes C= 5 8= A A= & This could be bro/en down as a C=m? chord with chromaticism from the 8= to the &

The ne-t set of 12 tones is di'ided into @ sets of A notes in a row& 8roup 1 is 19::, 29:: and A9::, then goes directly across the cloc/ and gets the notes at ?9::, B9:: and C9:: for the 2nd group& Those two groupings play bac/ and forth a few times, then get the other 2 sets of *A notes in a row+ at @9::, ;9:: and 79:: 0group A1& And again, goes directly across the cloc/ and gets 1:9::, 119:: and 129::& Dere%s what the full set of 12 tones loo/s li/e2 8roup 1 " $ 5b 8 8roup 2 " 8= A C= 8roup A " < 8b b 8roup @ " C 5 !o what tonality ha'e we now created> Eou ha'e four m addC chords a mA apart& Another way to loo/ at it is spell out a diminished ? chord and put a m addC chord on each root note2 Cm addC " C 5b 8 $ 5bm addC " 5b 8 b < <=m addC " <= A C= 8= Am addC " A C 5 Eep, just lea'e the root notes out, and it%s right there, ready for a tune& Actually, I wrote two tunes for this 12 tone grouping& I purposely arranged the groups so that the chords would be repeatedly going bac/ and forth a diminished ;th away& !atanF All 12 tones are used, perfect2 The ne-t note grouping is e'ery other hour on the cloc/& This gi'es us 2 whole tone scales& 8roup 1 is all of the odd numbers on the cloc/, gi'ing us an < whole tone scale& All of the e'en numbers gi'e us a C whole scale to wor/ with&

And the last tune *Creepy+ in the song is made up of the pattern hitting e'ery Ard note on the cloc/& 8roup 1 has 129::, A9::, 79:: and C9::, getting the notes 8 A b C& 8roup 2 at 19::, @9::, ?9:: and 1:9:: gets the notes C= $= 5 <=& ,otice that these two groups ha'e the same inter'al structure of whole step, half step, and whole step& !o if these two groups are put together, what do you get> Eep, and perfect half whole tone scale& And the notes that are left o'er> 8= $ <>&&& a perfect diminished ? chord& 4aser 4obotomy " 2 whole tones

,O3 do you get it> Gon