A SuperCollider \degree pattern with no \scale defaults to C major and plays wrong pitches without error

In a Pbind, \degree indexes into a scale to produce pitches. With no \scale set, SuperCollider silently defaults to C major, so a scale-degree pattern intended for another key or mode plays the wrong pitches — and this is not an error, so nothing is posted. Mixing \freq and \degree in one Pbind compounds the confusion. The fix is to set \scale, \root, and \octave explicitly, or switch to an absolute pitch path (\note, \midinote, or \freq), keeping one pitch path per Pbind.

Examples

Pbind(\degree, Pseq([0,2,4], inf)).play with no \scale plays C-E-G (C major default), even if the intended key was minor.

Assessment

Explain why a SuperCollider \degree pattern can produce wrong pitches with no error, and state two ways to give it the intended scale.