diatonic

diatonic Definition

dia·tonic (dī′ə tän′ik)

adjective

Music designating, of, or using a scale of eight tones that is either a major scale or a minor scale

Etymology: Fr diatonique < LL diatonicus < Gr diatonikos, stretched through (the notes) < dia-, through + teinein, to stretch: see tend

diatonic Related Forms

di′a·ton′i·cally adverb di′a·ton′i·cism′ (-ə siz′əm) noun

diatonic Usage Examples

Modifies a noun

accordion: Then the trio of David Rolland on the diatonic accordion played music in the Cajun style of Louisiana.
harmonica: One of the main differences in the many available models of diatonic harmonica is the material that the comb is made from.
scale: Bells used for change ringing are tuned to a diatonic scale - the scale used for the vast majority of Western music.
harmony: This simple diatonic harmony is enriched to be very interesting.
instrument: These are diatonic instruments, in that they only play the basic scale without sharps and flats.
degree: Two tones eight diatonic degrees apart that are sounded together.

Modifying Another Word

basically: The fretting of the instrument is basically diatonic, but it is not the same in each octave.
clearly: Yet the symphony also reconciles the intricately serial derivation of its material with a clearly diatonic goal.

Browse dictionary entries near diatonic