enharmonic

American  

[en-hahr-mon-ik] / ˌɛn hɑrˈmɒn ɪk /

adjective

Music.

1. having the same pitch in the tempered scale but written in different notation, as G sharp and A flat.

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enharmonic British  

/ ˌɛnhɑːˈmɒnɪk /

adjective

1. denoting or relating to a small difference in pitch between two notes such as A flat and G sharp: not present in instruments of equal temperament such as the piano, but significant in the intonation of stringed and wind instruments

2. denoting or relating to enharmonic modulation

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Other Word Forms

• enharmonically adverb

Etymology

Origin of enharmonic

1590–1600; < Late Latin enharmonicus < Greek enarmónios ( -icus replacing -ios ), equivalent to en- en- ¹ + harmoní ( a ) harmony + -os adj. suffix

Example Sentences

“There were 10 cases of enharmonic change in my 1991 data,” he says.

From The Guardian

“This is what is described in musicology as an ‘enharmonic change’ when a melody note stays the same, but is re-interpreted harmonically.

From The Guardian

The thing that appoggiaturas, enharmonic change and the other structures Sloboda looked at have in common is that they represent dramatic shifts in the music – often in a direction we weren’t expecting.

From The Guardian

The Study of the Scales Do you approve of the study of all the fifteen major scales by piano students, or is the practice of the enharmonic ones unnecessary?

From Project Gutenberg

These determine usually the composer's selection in cases of enharmonic identities.

From Project Gutenberg