Answer by Prof. Mahesh Kumar for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
Thank you all for nice thread of discussion. There is some light on that. I shall explain here in most simple and most convincing way.Actually, it is quite easy to understand why it is called as...
View ArticleAnswer by Randy Zeitman for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
If you are willing to dare to challenge the dictionary definition you will find great value in accepting that diatonic is the same as 'di-tonic'– two tonics.The two tonics are the first and fifth notes...
View ArticleAnswer by John Doe for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
This is something that gets needlessly convoluted:Diatonic simply means "belonging to a specific scale". My only references are the ones you've already posted, it's just that the definition gets...
View ArticleAnswer by Athanasius for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
As others have mentioned, the word diatonic comes from ancient Greek music theory and literally means "through [whole] tones." Ancient Greek music tuned its scales using intervals of perfect fourths...
View ArticleAnswer by Albrecht Hügli for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
Diatonic is each scale you can play equal to the scales with the white keys. So any other mode that can be fitted in a same pattern of 5 whole tone steps and 2 half tone steps arranged in the same way...
View ArticleAnswer by ttw for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
The definition that I've seen most often (composition, harmony, analysis, counterpoint, and form books for the most part) relates to the Common Practice Period key structure. Some extension are made to...
View ArticleAnswer by Tim for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
According to my trusty 'bible' - aka 'Oxford Companion to Music' - Diatonic scales are the major and minor, made up of tones and semitones, (inc. +2 in the harmonic minor) as distinct from the...
View ArticleAnswer by Michaelyus for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
I agree with the Encyclopedia Britannica in restricting the definition of diatonic and chromatic to within the Western heptatonic scales.The way the Wikipedia article opposes diatonic and chromatic in...
View ArticleAnswer by danmcb for Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?
The general way that this is used is "using only notes which can be found in one of the major scales". I think most people would take issue with Brittanica about the pentatonic - the pentatonic scale...
View ArticleExactly what does "diatonic" mean?
Is the meaning very context dependent, or can it be defined in general terms? Does the meaning change by author or period? Sometimes it's used to refer to anything that stays within a specific tonal...
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