Imposing Harmonic Restrictions on Symmetrical Scales: Creating a Tonal Center in the Half / Whole Octatonic Scale

Octatonicism does not negate diatonicism. By imposing harmonic restrictions and relationships on chords and pitch class sets derived from the octatonic scale, it is possible to create a series of harmonic progressions that will establish a specific note as the tonic. This text presents a theoretical approach for incorporating references to common-practice period tonality, Jazz theory and Set theory to imply a tonal center—or at least centricity—in the octatonic scale; thus, overcoming the symmetrical nature of the scale.