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Middle C is 261.63 Hz. The next half-step up (C#) is 277.183 Hz.

Why are these notes, while a tone at, say, 265 Hz, is not? Or what about 269.1488 Hz -- nearly absolute middle of the two?

Why do we recognize certain frequencies as notes?

Middle C is 261.63 Hz. The next half-step up (C#) is 277.183 Hz. Why are these notes, while a tone at, say, 265 Hz, is not? Or what about 269.1488 Hz -- nearly absolute middle of the two? Why do we recognize certain frequencies as notes?

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[–] • 0 pt

Modes are still scales.

[–] • 0 pt

Maybe colloquially, but 'scale' is being used meaning several things at once here. They are built on the diatonic scale, which is a subset of the chromatic scale. To offer dorian or ionian as an alternative to the chromatic scale is nonsense.

Worse, none of this has to do with pitch. You can say A=420 and build a chromatic scale using it.