5

I'm asking about this question: What is a scale consisting of Root, m2, m3, P4, d5, M6, M7 called?

It asks,

What is this scale called? I have not been able to find the name of it

Root, m2, m3, P4, d5, M6, M7

G, A flat, B flat, C, D flat, E, F#

It has been put on hold as off-topic. The reason given is,

Questions on identifying (or finding) a particular song, genre, instrument, etc. are off-topic since they are rarely useful to future readers.

I don't think the question should have been closed. The close reason is there to prevent askers from asking questions specific to individual songs because there are too many songs for any two people to ask about the same one. However, this question asks about identifying a scale, a theory question that reasonably may be helpful to future readers.

Should we reopen this question?

1
  • 2
    I'd actually imagine a question about a specific song to be much more useful to future readers than this - I've always thought people would be fairly likely to Google a song name. I'd be very surprised if someone managed to Google that exact sequence of notes. That's not to say I think such questions should be off-topic though...I'm not sure. They have little value to future readers, but surely are valuable to the asker - and we're not exactly in the same question-overload situation as StackOverflow...
    – Chris
    Sep 22 '14 at 20:39
1

As you can see on the closing reason, it specifies that questions per identifications of specific stuff are off topic.

That applies to theory questions as well.

Think of it like this: What are the chances of someone to actually Google something like the question you asked? That is what the closing reason is referring to.

To be honest, I don't think that it is exactly the same as a song identification question, but it is not the best written question. Maybe rephrasing it and converting it into a more general question about scale identification, while still asking the same thing would be on topic.

2
  • 1
    This is my reasoning. Googling something like G, A flat, B flat, C, D flat, E, F# returns no obviously relevant results without quotes ... and I think the chances of someone performing that exact search are terribly low.
    – user28
    Sep 23 '14 at 0:23
  • 2
    @MatthewRead What if the asker used intervals, or other more general formula and/or pattern? That greatly improves its search engine visibility. This question did include a more general pattern (intervals in relation to the root), which can be used to identify the pattern with any root. Also, I disagree with the unilateral closing of that question. It had activity and and generated interest (3 answers, 3 comments, 4 re-open votes atm). I don't see why it needed an unilateral mod close.
    – user1079425
    Sep 23 '14 at 13:26

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .