Octave species various available intervals could be combined in any order, even restricting species to just the diatonic genus would result in twelve ways of dividing the octave (and his 17th-century editor, Marcus Meibom, pointed out that the actual number is 21), but "only seven species or forms are melodic and symphonic" . Those octave species that cannot be mapped onto the system are therefore rejected . In chant theory beginning in the 9th century, the "New Exposition" of the composite treatise called "Alia musica" developed an eightfold modal system from the seven diatonic octave species of ancient Greek theory, transmitted to
Regular tuning intervals of minor sixths (eight semitones) and of major sixths (nine semitones), have received scholarly discussion. The chord charts for minor-sixths tuning are useful for left-handed guitarists playing in major-thirds tuning; the chord charts for major-sixths tuning, for left-handed guitarists playing in minor-thirds tuning. The regular tunings with minor-seventh (ten semitones) or major-seventh (eleven semitones) intervals would make conventional major/minor chord-playing very difficult, as would octave intervals. There are regular-tunings that have as their intervals either zero semi-tones (unison), one semi-tone (minor second), or two semi-tones (major second). These tunings tend to increase the difficulty in playing the major/minor system