The Interval Cycle

An interval cycle is a repeated pattern of an interval or set of intervals.

The most common interval cycle is the scale.

Any scale that repeats at the octave is an interval cycle. For example the major scale consists of a pattern of half and whole steps. That pattern is W,W,H,W,W,W,H (W = Whole Step, H = Halfstep). That interval pattern repeats exactly as the scale is repeated in the next octave.

Interval cycles can be less than an octave. The most common is the Whole Tone scale. Not only does it repeat at the octave, but its entire intervallic content is created by a repeated major 2nd interval.

Interval cycles can also be used that do not repeat at the octave. For example the pattern for the notes C, D, E, F creates an interval pattern of W,W,H. If you repeat this pattern by adding an additional interval at the end you can create longer strings of pitches that create scales that are smaller or larger than the octave. The result of the example (C, D, E, F, +m2) = (C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C, D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D, etc.)