{"schema":"https://ver.cy/schemas/card/1.0.0","id":"vr.tr.step","code":"thing-q636099","url":"https://ver.cy/models/thing/q636099/","name":"step","alternateNames":["major second","minor second","augmented second","diminished second","neutral second"],"kind":"thing","status":"published","version":"0.2.0-wave.2","language":"en","classifiers":{"family":"Thing Registry","category":"Cross-cutting context","entryKind":"thing","plane":"XCT","domain":["XCT.QTY"],"industry":[],"navPath":"","tags":[],"facets":{}},"whatItIs":"In the specified musical sense, a step is the interval between two consecutive notes of a diatonic scale, forming a second that is either a whole step or major second, or a half step or minor second; steps are building blocks of diatonic scales and melodies, while uses of the term in other scales and tuning systems are contextual extensions in which adjacent degrees need not form a second.","purpose":"Let an agent explain steps and seconds in music theory, identify them in scales and melodies, and relate them to tuning systems and non-Western scales.","scope":{"in":[],"out":[],"boundaries":[]},"distinguishingFeatures":["Interval of a second","Whole or half","Scale building block","Tuning-dependent"],"structure":{"bundles":[{"id":"identify","name":"Identify","description":"Steps in scales.","layers":[{"id":"scale","name":"Scale","description":"Step patterns.","findings":[{"id":"scale-finding","name":"Scale","description":"Scale patterns.","questions":[{"text":"What is the pattern of whole and half steps in this scale or mode?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"Where do the half steps fall?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"interval","name":"Interval","description":"Quality of a second.","findings":[{"id":"interval-finding","name":"Interval","description":"Quality.","questions":[{"text":"Is this interval a major, minor, augmented or diminished second?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How does an augmented second differ from a minor third in spelling?","kind":"definition"}]}]}]},{"id":"tuning","name":"Tuning","description":"Steps and tuning.","layers":[{"id":"systems","name":"Systems","description":"Tuning systems.","findings":[{"id":"systems-finding","name":"Systems","description":"Tuning.","questions":[{"text":"How large is a whole or half step in equal temperament, just intonation and other systems?","kind":"measurement"},{"text":"What is a neutral second?","kind":"definition"}]}]},{"id":"world","name":"World","description":"Non-Western scales.","findings":[{"id":"world-finding","name":"World","description":"Non-Western scales.","questions":[{"text":"How are steps organised in maqam, raga or other systems, as their practitioners describe them?","kind":"provenance"},{"text":"Which terms do they use?","kind":"provenance"}]}]}]},{"id":"practice","name":"Practice","description":"Hearing and playing.","layers":[{"id":"ear","name":"Ear","description":"Ear training.","findings":[{"id":"ear-finding","name":"Ear","description":"Ear training.","questions":[{"text":"How can whole and half steps be recognised by ear?","kind":"action"},{"text":"Which reference songs help?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"instrument","name":"Instrument","description":"On instruments.","findings":[{"id":"instrument-finding","name":"Instrument","description":"Instruments.","questions":[{"text":"How are steps played on the guitar, piano or other instruments?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How do frets and keys map to half steps?","kind":"definition"}]}]}]},{"id":"senses","name":"Senses","description":"Disambiguation.","layers":[{"id":"other","name":"Other","description":"Other meanings.","findings":[{"id":"other-finding","name":"Other","description":"Other meanings.","questions":[{"text":"Is a dance step, a stair step or a step in a process meant?","kind":"boundary"},{"text":"Which entry fits?","kind":"action"}]}]},{"id":"compose","name":"Compose","description":"Stepwise motion.","findings":[{"id":"compose-finding","name":"Compose","description":"Composition.","questions":[{"text":"How is stepwise motion used in melody and voice leading?","kind":"definition"},{"text":"How does it contrast with leaps?","kind":"definition"}]}]}]}]},"agentConduct":{"may":["Explain whole steps, half steps and other seconds across tuning systems.","Help musicians identify intervals and transpose music."],"mustNot":["Treat the major scale of Western music as the only correct system for steps.","Present microtonal steps of other traditions as out of tune.","Copy protected scores beyond what copyright allows."],"requiresHuman":["Grading a student's musical performance based on an automated analysis."]},"ethics":{"considerations":["Musical traditions with different steps deserve respect, not correction.","Musicians' work is protected by copyright."],"affectedParties":["Musicians and students","Traditions using other tuning systems"]},"owners":{"steward":"Nobody owns the interval; it is held in common by music.","roles":[],"masterSystems":[]},"relations":[{"target":"Q189962","type":"parent","note":"registry parent class"},{"target":"interval","type":"related","note":"category"},{"target":"tonic","type":"related","note":"scale degrees"},{"target":"rhythm","type":"related","note":"other musical element"},{"target":"guitar","type":"related","note":"frets as half steps"}],"interaction":{"identity":{"applicability":"required","items":["Vercy registry: vr.tr.step","Wikidata: Q636099 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q636099)"]},"properties":{"applicability":"not-applicable","items":[]},"recognition":{"applicability":"optional","items":["Adjacent scale degrees","Whole and half steps","A third spans two steps","Not physical; intervals in notation and sound."]},"capabilities":{"applicability":"required","items":["identify whole and half steps in scales","explain second intervals and their qualities","relate steps to tuning systems","support ear training"]},"hazards":{"applicability":"required","items":["Confusing steps and semitones across tuning systems","Misidentifying augmented seconds and minor thirds","Confusing senses of step"]},"interfaces":{"applicability":"required","items":["No regulation; music theory conventions"]},"context":{"applicability":"required","items":["Music theory and ear training.","major second (whole step)","minor second (half step)","augmented second","diminished and neutral seconds","microtonal steps"]}},"sources":[{"title":"Wikidata item Q636099: step","url":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q636099","note":"identity and sense of the item"},{"title":"Wikipedia: Second (music)","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_%28music%29","note":"general description of the item"}],"openQuestions":["Should each second quality be a separate entry?","How should tuning references be linked?","How should non-Western scales be linked?"],"resources":{"spec":"/models/things/publications/thing-q636099/spec.json"},"provenance":{"origin":"thing registry research (pass 2)","builtFrom":["models/things/publications/thing-q636099/spec.json"],"providers":["Claude"],"researchStatus":"unreviewed","generatedAt":"2026-09-11T20:05:18Z","builder":"tools/build_cards.py@1.0.0"},"completeness":{"sections":{"classifiers":"filled","whatItIs":"filled","purpose":"filled","distinguishingFeatures":"filled","structure":"filled","agentConduct":"filled","ethics":"filled","owners":"filled","relations":"filled","interaction.identity":"filled","interaction.properties":"not-applicable","interaction.recognition":"filled","interaction.capabilities":"filled","interaction.hazards":"filled","interaction.interfaces":"filled","interaction.context":"filled","sources":"filled"},"notes":{"_gate":"Published through the thing publication gate 1.0 on 2026-10-07T10:10:32+00:00: completeness 1.00; sense: Wikidata description; 2 live sources; review by codex: pass","interaction.properties":"Plane XCT: no invented physical properties."},"score":1.0}}