diatonic
Americanadjective
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noting those scales that contain five whole tones and two semitones, as the major, minor, and certain modal scales.
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of or relating to the tones, intervals, or harmonies of such scales.
adjective
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of, relating to, or based upon any scale of five tones and two semitones produced by playing the white keys of a keyboard instrument, esp the natural major or minor scales forming the basis of the key system in Western music Compare chromatic
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not involving the sharpening or flattening of the notes of the major or minor scale nor the use of such notes as modified by accidentals
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of diatonic
1590–1600; < Late Latin diatonicus < Greek diatonikós; see dia-, tonic
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When played in these contexts, the loud instrument takes on a different style of tuning, called diatonic, which means it can play only a limited range of notes in a specific key.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 19, 2024
Petosa sells diatonic accordions from other manufacturers but doesn’t make its own.
From Seattle Times • May 20, 2022
A number of the album’s nine Iverson originals have the same droll, diatonic structuring that defined his writing for the old band: It’s Bacharach meets Brahms meets John Lewis.
From New York Times • Feb. 11, 2022
When you think of the harmonica, you’re probably thinking of a diatonic harmonica: 10 holes, locked to a single key.
From Slate • Dec. 22, 2016
Music that does not stray at all from its key is called diatonic.
From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
