Final answer:
The Western musical scale has inconsistencies because early musical theorists valued harmony over symmetry, leading to an evolution in musical practices that prioritized consonant combinations of sounds.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Western musical scale developed with inconsistencies within it because the founders of early musical theory privileged harmony over symmetry. During the Medieval period, theoretical practices such as rhythmic complexity and polyphony shaped the direction of Western music, moving away from purely melodic lines toward a harmonic structure that prioritizes the pleasant combination of sounds.
By the time of the Classical and Romantic periods, composers began pushing boundaries further by seeking new forms, melodies, and harmonies, sometimes challenging listeners' expectations. Innovators like Arnold Schoenberg then took drastic steps in the 20th century, experimenting with atonality and twelve-tone scales to disrupt traditional Western music scales.