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Message: [QUOTE="Odd Argument, post: 87536"] When you are building harmonies within a specific scale like F# bebop dominant, you generally ignore the chromatic semitone count and instead count scale degrees. In music theory, this is the difference between chromatic intervals (fixed semitones) and diatonic intervals (steps within a scale). [HEADING=2]Diatonic vs. chromatic counting[/HEADING] If you are told to build a quartal or quintal chord "in the key," you do not count 5 or 7 semitones. Instead, you "skip" a specific number of notes that belong to your scale: [LIST] [*]For quartal (Fourths): Start on your note and move up to the 4th note in the scale (including the starting note). [*]For quintal (Fifths): Start on your note and move up to the 5th note in the scale. [/LIST] [HEADING=2]Why semitones vary[/HEADING] Because scales have uneven spacing (some steps are whole steps, others are half steps), the actual number of semitones will change depending on which note you start on. [LIST] [*]A perfect 4th is 5 semitones. [*]An augmented 4th (tritone) is 6 semitones. [/LIST] In your F# bebop dominant scale, moving from E to A# is a "fourth" because it spans four scale names (E, F, G#, A#), even though it is 6 semitones wide. If you forced it to be exactly 5 semitones, you would hit A natural, which is not in your scale. [HEADING=2]Comparison of the two methods[/HEADING] [TABLE width="100%"] [TR] [th]Method[/th][th]Rule[/th][th]Result[/th] [/TR] [TR] [td]Diatonic (In-key)[/td][td]Count only the 8 notes of F# bebop dominant.[/td][td]Sounds "correct" and stays in harmony with the track.[/td] [/TR] [TR] [td]Chromatic (Strict)[/td][td]Count exactly 5 or 7 semitones (freely using all 12 keys).[/td][td]May hit "wrong" notes that clash with your F# dominant bassline.[/td] [/TR] [/TABLE] [HEADING=2]How to do this quickly in FL Studio[/HEADING] In the FL Studio Piano Roll, you can make this easier: [LIST=1] [*]Go to the View menu -> Scale highlighting. [*]Set the root to F# and the scale to Bebop Dominant. [*]The "in-scale" notes will be light gray, and "out-of-scale" notes will be dark. [*]When stacking your chords, only click on the light gray lanes. Just count four light lanes up for quartal, or five light lanes up for quintal. [/LIST] [/QUOTE]

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