diff --git a/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs b/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
index cb856fa99..5f61b05a9 100644
--- a/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
+++ b/packages/tonal/test/tonal.test.mjs
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ describe('tonal', () => {
         n(seq('0b#', '1#b', '2#b#'))
           .scale('C major')
           .firstCycleValues.map((h) => h.note),
-      ).toEqual(['', '', '']);
+      ).toEqual([]);
     });
     it('snaps notes (upwards) to scale', () => {
       const inputNotes = ['Cb', 'Eb', 'G', 'A#', 'Bb'];
diff --git a/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs b/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
index 4f189e3d6..ae75ab690 100644
--- a/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
+++ b/packages/tonal/tonal.mjs
@@ -189,8 +189,7 @@ function _convertStepToNumberAndOffset(step) {
     const match = /^(-?\d+)(#+|b+)?$/.exec(step);
 
     if (!match) {
-      logger(`[tonal] invalid scale step "${step}", expected number or integer with optional # b suffixes`, 'error');
-      return [silence, 0];
+      throw new Error(`invalid scale step "${step}", expected number or integer with optional # b suffixes`);
     }
     asNumber = Number(match[1]);
     // These decorations will determine the semitone offset based on the number of
@@ -275,8 +274,8 @@ export const scale = register(
               // legacy..
               return pure(step);
             }
-            const [number, offset] = _convertStepToNumberAndOffset(step);
             try {
+              const [number, offset] = _convertStepToNumberAndOffset(step);
               let note;
               if (isObject && value.anchor) {
                 note = stepInNamedScale(number, scale, value.anchor);
@@ -287,7 +286,7 @@ export const scale = register(
               value = pure(isObject ? { ...value, note } : note);
             } catch (err) {
               logger(`[tonal] ${err.message}`, 'error');
-              value = silence;
+              return silence;
             }
             return value;
           }