Gamme

Gamme is a French noun used to denote a range or spectrum of things. The term has several widely used senses, including music, business, and color science.

In music, la gamme means a scale, an ordered series of pitches. French music theory distinguishes several kinds of gammes, such as la gamme majeure (major scale), la gamme mineure (natural or conventional minor scale), la gamme chromatique (the chromatic scale containing all semitones), and la gamme pentatonique (five-note scale). The concept parallels the English "scale" or "gamut" and is central to melody and harmony.

In commerce and industry, la gamme refers to the range of products or services offered by a company. Phrases like "élargir la gamme" or "gamme de produits" describe the breadth of offerings and the strategy for product development, pricing, and branding. The organization of a gamme affects market positioning and consumer choice.

In color science and imaging, la gamme or le gamut denotes the set of colors that a device or color space can reproduce. Discussions of color accuracy often address the limits of a device's gamme and the trade-offs between vibrancy and fidelity.

In general usage, gamme can also indicate a gradation or sequence of related items, ideas, or emotions, forming a continuum from one extreme to another.