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

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 • Sep. 2, 2015

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

From The Guardian • Sep. 2, 2015

This sameness is a result of equal-tempered tuning, however; other tuning systems have been used which cause enharmonic notes to be tuned slightly differently.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Give at least one enharmonic spelling for the following notes.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Since the scales are the same, D sharp major and E flat major are also enharmonic keys.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones