tetrachord

American  

[te-truh-kawrd] / ˈtɛ trəˌkɔrd /

noun

Music.

1. a diatonic series of four tones, the first and last separated by a perfect fourth.

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tetrachord British  

/ ˈtɛtrəˌkɔːd /

noun

1. (in musical theory, esp of classical Greece) any of several groups of four notes in descending order, in which the first and last notes form a perfect fourth

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Other Word Forms

• tetrachordal adjective

Etymology

Origin of tetrachord

First recorded in 1595–1605, tetrachord is from the Greek word tetráchordos having four strings. See tetra-, chord ¹

Example Sentences

That’s true even during the exposition’s most hot-to-the-touch passage, a high-flown tetrachord of B, F sharp, F and E that emerges in the 16th minute.

From New York Times

Later, in an analysis of a mandala drawn by Coltrane for Yusef Lateef, he says that a reading of the diagram, “we get C, C-sharp, E, F and F-sharp, which is an all-interval tetrachord,” when a tetrachord has only four notes, and the all-interval tetrachord, which is asymmetric, couldn’t possibly be outlined in Coltrane’s entirely symmetric drawing.

From New York Times

Tetrachord, tet′ra-kord, n. a series of four sounds, forming a scale of two tones and a half.—adj.

From Project Gutenberg

In his system of scales the semitone was always between the 2nd and 3rd of a tetrachord, as G, A, ♭ B, C, so the ♮ B and ♯ F of the second octave were in false relation to the ♭ B and ♮F of the first two tetrachords.

From Project Gutenberg

This presence of the Englishman and the delayed return of the jealous one settled all at once in Victor his last will, to stretch the fourth Whitsuntide-day also as the fourth string on this tetrachord of joy.

From Project Gutenberg