I'll just put in that I think things like 12 tone scales and 7 note diatonic scales were local minima in a vast landscape that we happen to hit upon and settle

I'll just put in that I think things like 12 tone scales and 7 note diatonic scales were local minima in a vast landscape that we happen to hit upon and settle into. The more I look at what music is from a neurological perspective, the more it feels/seems like the deepening and establishing of patterns is the main mode.