I was listening to a TV program yesterday as I was busy in the kitchen, on the subject of musical theory, and it started off with various songs using a pentatonic scale, and the presenter said that Humans are most likely genetically programmed to use that scale.

If a song is pentatonic it can be played on the black notes of a piano - presumably on the white notes of a harpsichord?

My own theory is that if a tune has a good melody and rythm, a few nice twiddly bits but not too difficult to remember or sing, with words which are relevant at the time and can be parodied or the tune nicked for a new set, and which generally gives opportunities for audience participation either with refrains, replies or echoes, then it is most likely to get taken up by those with a good ear and memory, and so spread and persist wherever people go. And it will most likely be pentatonic. If it is easy to harmonise with even better.

Anne