CHROMATONE CORE VOCABULARY

Visual Music Language — Foundational Namespaces & Ontology

Purpose: Root document for all Chromatone knowledge graphs

1. METADATA & GOVERNANCE ---

Chromatone Visual Music Language Project

Chromatone Visual Music Language Open source research and design project https://chromatone.center/https://github.com/chromatone Maintained by: Denis Starov Established: 2018

License

Open source Copyrighted source material Non-commercial use encouraged

--- 2. CORE DOMAIN CLASSES ---

VisualMusicLanguage

A sign system that maps musical pitch classes to colors, intervals to gradients, chords and scales to palettes, and rhythms to shapes.

ChromaSpace

The complete set of 12 pitch classes arranged as a circular color space, where hue angle corresponds to pitch class.

ColorNote

A single pitch class with its assigned chromatone color. The atomic unit of the visual music language.

ChromaticUnit

The semitone as the fundamental step unit in 12-TET chromatic space.

HueAngle

A color position on the HSL hue wheel, measured in degrees (0-360).

PitchClass

One of 12 pitch classes (C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B) in equal temperament.

FrequencyValue

A physical frequency measured in Hertz.

ColorInterval

The visual representation of a musical interval as a gradient between two ColorNotes.

ColorChord

A musical chord represented as a palette of ColorNotes.

ColorScale

A musical scale represented as an ordered palette of ColorNotes.

ColorPalette

A collection of colors derived from a musical structure (chord, scale, or arbitrary set).

RhythmShape

A visual geometric representation of rhythmic pattern, duration, or meter.

OctaveBridge

The physical correspondence between musical octaves and the electromagnetic spectrum, mapping pitch frequencies to light frequencies via octave multiplication.

SpectrogramView

A real-time visualization of sound frequencies using chromatone color mapping.

CircleOfFifths

The chromatone visualization of pitch classes arranged by perfect fifth relationships.

TonnetzGrid

A 2D lattice visualization of pitch space using chromatone coloring.

PracticeApp

An interactive web application for exploring visual music concepts.

TheoryArticle

A narrative document explaining visual music theory concepts.

VisualNotation

A system of representing musical information using chromatone colors and shapes instead of traditional staff notation.

StickerDesign

A physical chromatone color application for musical instruments.

TutorshipProgram

A guided educational program using the Chromatone visual music language.

--- 3. COLOR MAPPING PROPERTIES ---

hasHueAngle

The HSL hue angle (0-360 degrees) assigned to a pitch class in Chromatone. HueAngle PitchClass

hasColorHex

The hexadecimal color code for a ColorNote. ColorNote

hasSemitoneIndex

The position in the chromatic scale (0-11), where 0 = A (red, 0° hue). PitchClass

hasFrequency

The physical frequency in Hertz for a given pitch at a specific octave. FrequencyValue

hasLightFrequency

The electromagnetic frequency in the visible spectrum corresponding to this pitch via octave bridge (40 octaves above concert A = red light). FrequencyValue

hasOctave

The octave number (e.g., A4 = 440Hz, A5 = 880Hz).

colorOf

The ColorNote associated with a PitchClass. ColorNote PitchClass

noteOf

The PitchClass associated with a ColorNote. PitchClass ColorNote

isAdjustable

Whether the color assignment for this pitch class can be customized by the user. true

--- 4. INTERVAL & HARMONY PROPERTIES ---

hasSemitoneSpan

The number of semitones between two pitch classes.

hasIntervalGradient

The visual gradient representing the interval between two ColorNotes. ColorInterval

hasColorDistance

The angular distance in hue degrees between two ColorNotes.

hasConsonanceVisual

The visual property (smoothness, blending) that corresponds to acoustic consonance.

hasDissonanceVisual

The visual property (clash, contrast) that corresponds to acoustic dissonance.

formsPalette

The ColorPalette generated from a chord or scale. ColorPalette

hasMemberNote

A ColorNote that is a member of a chord, scale, or palette. ColorNote

hasRootNote

The root or tonic ColorNote of a chord or scale. ColorNote

hasInversion

The visual rearrangement of a chord's color palette.

hasFunction

The harmonic function (Tonic, Dominant, Subdominant).

--- 5. RHYTHM & TIME PROPERTIES ---

hasRhythmShape

The geometric shape representing a rhythmic pattern. RhythmShape

hasDurationVisual

The visual length or size representing note duration.

hasBeatPattern

The repeating visual pattern representing meter.

hasTempoVisual

The visual speed or animation rate corresponding to tempo.

isPolyrhythmic

Whether the rhythm combines multiple independent beat patterns.

--- 6. PHYSICAL & PERCEPTUAL BRIDGE PROPERTIES ---

hasPhysicalBasis

The physical phenomenon (frequency, wave, resonance) underlying a musical or visual concept.

hasPerceptualCorrelate

The sensory or cognitive phenomenon that corresponds to this musical/visual property.

hasOctaveEquivalence

The perceptual phenomenon where frequencies in 2:1 ratio are heard as the same pitch class.

hasCriticalBandRelation

The relationship to auditory critical bands that explains consonance/dissonance perception.

hasNeuralEntrainment

The brain's tendency to synchronize neural oscillations with rhythmic stimuli.

hasSynestheticMapping

The systematic cross-modal correspondence between sound and color in Chromatone.

--- 7. APPLICATION & TOOL PROPERTIES ---

hasPracticeApp

An interactive web application associated with a theory concept. PracticeApp

hasTheoryArticle

A theory article that explains this concept. TheoryArticle

hasStickerDesign

A physical sticker design for instrument application. StickerDesign

hasNPMpackage

The NPM package that implements this concept programmatically.

hasRepository

The source code repository for this tool or concept.

hasInteractiveDemo

A live interactive demonstration URL.

supportsMIDI

Whether the tool supports MIDI input/output.

supportsMultiTouch

Whether the tool supports multi-touch interaction.

isOfflineCapable

Whether the progressive web app works offline.

--- 8. EDUCATIONAL SCAFFOLDING CLASSES ---

CourseModule

A major section of the Chromatone curriculum.

LessonUnit

A single lesson within a Chromatone course module.

AssessmentItem

A question or exercise that assesses student understanding.

StudentPortfolio

An append-only collection of a student's learning records.

TeacherFeedback

A teacher's response to a student assessment submission.

LearningObjective

A specific goal that a lesson or module aims to achieve.

MasteryStatement

A reified statement that a student has demonstrated understanding of.

KnowledgeStatement

A foundational fact in the Chromatone knowledge base, reified as rdf:Statement.

MisconceptionPattern

A documented common misunderstanding among students.

PrerequisiteConcept

A concept that must be understood before learning another concept.

--- 9. EDUCATIONAL SCAFFOLDING PROPERTIES ---

hasModule

A CourseModule that is part of a course. CourseModule

hasLesson

A LessonUnit that is part of a module. LessonUnit

hasLearningObjective

A learning objective associated with a lesson or module. LearningObjective

hasPrerequisite

A concept or statement that must be mastered before this lesson. PrerequisiteConcept

assessesStatement

The KnowledgeStatement that an assessment item tests. KnowledgeStatement

hasStudentAnswer

The student's response to an assessment item.

hasStudentConfidence

The student's self-reported confidence in their answer.

hasFeedbackStatus

The teacher's evaluation: correct, partial, incorrect, or needs-review.

demonstratesMastery

Links a student or feedback to a KnowledgeStatement they have mastered. KnowledgeStatement

hasMisconception

A documented misconception relevant to this concept or assessment. MisconceptionPattern

hasDifficulty

The difficulty level of an assessment item (0.0-1.0).

hasEstimatedTime

The estimated time to complete a lesson or assessment.

hasNextLesson

The recommended next lesson based on current progress. LessonUnit

isPartOfTutorship

Whether this lesson or module is included in guided tutorship programs.

--- 10. PROVENANCE & VERSIONING PROPERTIES ---

hasVersion

The version identifier for a curriculum or app release.

hasChangelog

A document describing changes between versions.

isForkedFrom

The canonical document that this variant was derived from.

hasCanonicalSource

The authoritative source document for this concept.

wasUpdatedBy

The person or agent who last updated this document.

hasConfidenceLevel

The epistemic confidence in a knowledge statement (0.0-1.0).

hasEvidenceSource

The research, observation, or proof that supports a statement.

hasCulturalContext

The musical tradition or culture in which this statement applies.

isUniversallyTrue

Whether this statement holds across all tuning systems and cultures.

--- 11. CHROMATONE-SPECIFIC CONSTANTS & REFERENCES ---

The 12-TET System

12 pitch classes Equal temperament Octave ratio: 2:1 Semitone ratio: 2^(1/12)

The Chromatone Color Wheel

12 hues at 30° intervals Starting from A = Red (0°) Hue mapping: A=0°, A#=30°, B=60°, C=90°, C#=120°, D=150°, D#=180°, E=210°, F=240°, F#=270°, G=300°, G#=330° Adjustable per user preference

The Octave Bridge

Concert A4 = 440 Hz 40 octaves above A4 = 483.8 THz 40 octaves = red light Physical basis: frequency doubling per octave

Chroma Space

Pitch classes as circular arrangement Circle of fifths as primary navigation Tonnetz as secondary lattice

Metaharmony Color Functions

Primary colors: yellow, red, blue Secondary colors: orange, green, purple Tonic function = orange Subdominant function = green Dominant function = purple Diminished tetrads are monochromatic

--- 12. PRACTICE APPS REGISTRY ---

Spectrogram App

https://chromatone.center/practice/pitch/spectrogram/ Real-time frequency visualization with chromatone colors Supports microphone input Shows harmonic series as colored lines

Circle of Fifths App

https://chromatone.center/practice/chord/fifths/ Interactive circle with MIDI support Seventh chords and 4 inversions

Tonnetz Grid App

https://chromatone.center/practice/chord/array/ 2D lattice with scale filtering Multitouch support

Polyrhythmic Metronome

https://chromatone.center/practice/rhythm/circle/ Visual circular polyrhythm metronome

Chroma Palette App

https://chromatone.center/practice/chroma/palette/ GLSL shader visualization of MIDI and analyzed notes

Elementary Synth

https://chromatone.center/practice/synth/elementary/ Saw/square oscillators, noise, Karplus-Strong strings, sampler Polyphonic with reverb and ping-pong delay

Jam Randomizer

https://chromatone.center/practice/jam/random/ Random BPM and scale generator for jam sessions

MIDI Monitor

https://chromatone.center/practice/midi/monitor/ MIDI signal table view

Generative Bounce

https://chromatone.center/practice/generative/bounce/ Shifted period sine wave melodies

use-chromatone NPM Package

https://www.npmjs.com/package/use-chromatone Sound analysis and synthesis tools collection Vue 3 composables for SSR and client-side

chromatone-db NPM Package

YAML-format music database with intervals, chords, scales, rhythmic patterns Treeshaking enabled

--- 13. KNOWLEDGE STATEMENT ARCHETYPE ---

Statement Template

Example subject Example predicate Example object Confidence: 1.0 Evidence: physical measurement Context: universal Universally true: true

--- 14. DOCUMENT INVARIANTS ---

Every Chromatone MD-LD document MUST:

1. Declare [ct] tag:chromatone.center,2026: as root authority

2. Use prefix folding for hierarchical namespaces

3. Define nodes once — type and label in the node's own section

4. Ground musical claims in rdf:Statement constructs

5. Link visual concepts to their physical and perceptual bases

6. Maintain append-only polarity for version control

7. Keep human-readable narrative as primary artifact

8. Annotate only what carries semantic value

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END OF CHROMATONE CORE VOCABULARY

Version: 1.0.0-draft

Last updated: 2026-08-22

Next: chromatone-notes.md, chromatone-intervals.md, chromatone-chords.md, chromatone-scales.md, chromatone-rhythm.md, chromatone-course-101.md

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