MUS 305B – Determining Rows WITHOUT a Matrix

Suppose you’re in a desert island and you’re not, under any circumstances, allowed to fill out
a matrix (or suppose it’s the final exam). All you’re given is a single row, and you need to
find the others. What gives?

1. Suppose that you’re given any P row, for example, P3:

P3: 3 8 4 9 1 6 2 10 5 7 11 0

You can find any other P row by transposing; to find P4 transpose by 1, ETC.

2. You can find any R row by swapping the pitches of any P row, i.e., read from right to
left. Remember that retrograde rows are labeled with their final pitch.

R3: 0 11 7 5 10 2 6 1 9 4 8 3

You can find any other R row by transposing; to find R4 transpose by 1, ETC.

But, you don’t have to be given P. If you are given R, you can find P; if you are given I, you
can find RI; and if you are given RI, you can find I. In other words, by swapping the pitch
classes, you are in effect swapping P with R (and vice versa); or I with RI (and vice versa).

3. You can find any I row in the following manner. First start with a P row, such as P3:

P3: 3 8 4 9 1 6 2 10 5 7 11 0

Then, subtract all pitches from 0; this “flips” all of the OPCI’s, but the first note of the row
is also changed (from 3 to 9):

I9: 9 4 8 3 11 6 10 2 7 5 1 0

Once on the “I” side, you can find any other I row by transposing; to find I3 just transpose
by 6, ETC.

I9: 3 10 2 9 5 0 4 8 1 2 7 6

But, you don’t have to be given P. If you are given I, you can find P with the same method;
if you are given RI, you can find R; and if you are given R, you can find RI. In other words,
you are in effect swapping P with I (and vice versa); or R with RI (and vice versa).

4. RI, is of course, just the retrograde of I, so see #2.

Now, WITH A MATRIX. You’ve escaped the matrix-free zone. Congratulations!

I0 I5 I1 I6 I3 I10 I11 I7 I2 I4 I8 I9

P0 0 5 1 6 3 10 11 7 2 4 8 9 R0

P7 7 (0) R7
P11 e (0) R11
P6 6 (0) R6

P9 9 (0) R9

P2 2 7 3 8 5 0 1 9 4 6 10 11 R2

P1 1 6 2 7 4 11 0 8 3 5 9 10 R1

P5 5 (0) R5

P10 10 (0) R10

P8 8 (0) R8

P4 4 (0) R4
P3 3 (0) R3

RI0 RI5 RI1 RI6 RI3 RI10 RI11 RI7 RI2 RI4 RI8 RI9

1. Suppose that you’re given any P row, for example, P3:

P3: 3 8 4 9 1 6 2 10 5 7 11 0. First to P0, and write the row on top of the matrix.
0 5 1 6 10 3 11 7 2 4 8 9

1 Subtract each of the pitch class values in the P0 from 12 in order to generate the I0: write
it along the leftmost column. (0 7 11 6 2 9 1 5 10 8 4 3)

2 To fill out the matrix, all you need to do is determine all the P rows (which, when read
right-to-left, top-to bottom, and bottom-to-top, generate all 48 possibilities). In order to do
that, find the P1 row, increment the numbers in the P0 row by 1; follow suit all the way until
P11. If you’ve computed it right, there should be an entire diagonal of 0’s from the top-left to
bottom-right.
Spare matrix page

I I I I I I I I I I I I

P R

P R
P R
P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R
P R

RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI
Spare matrix page

I I I I I I I I I I I I

P R

P R
P R
P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R

P R
P R

RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI RI