Editing Pitch class (section)

===Disadvantages===
<!--1st disadvantage-->There are a few disadvantages with integer notation. First, theorists have traditionally used the same integers to indicate elements of different tuning systems. Thus, the numbers 0, 1, 2,&nbsp;... 5, are used to notate pitch classes in 6-tone equal temperament. This means that the meaning of a given integer changes with the underlying tuning system: "1" can refer to C{{music|#}} in 12-tone equal temperament, but D in 6-tone equal temperament.

<!--2nd disadvantage-->Also, the same numbers are used to represent both [[pitch (music)|pitches]] and [[interval (music)|intervals]]. For example, the number 4 serves both as a label for the pitch class E (if C&nbsp;= 0) and as a label for the ''distance'' between the pitch classes D and F{{music|#}}. (In much the same way, the term "10 degrees" can label both a temperature and the distance between two temperatures.) Only one of these labelings is sensitive to the (arbitrary) choice of pitch class 0. For example, if one makes a different choice about which pitch class is labeled 0, then the pitch class E will no longer be labeled "4". However, the distance between D and F{{music|#}} will still be assigned the number 4. Both this and the issue in the paragraph directly above may be viewed as disadvantages (though mathematically, an element "4" should not be confused with the function "+4").