whole-tone
whole-tone. Interval of 2 semitones, e.g. from C up to adjacent D. whole-tone scale progresses entirely in whole-tones instead of partly in whole-tones and partly in semitones as in major and minor scales and modes. The scale is obtained by taking every other note of the 12-semitone chromatic (or equal-tempered) scale, thus only 2 whole-tone scales are possible, one beginning on C, the other on C♯ (but since there is no keynote each scale can begin on any note). Used by Debussy, Vaughan Williams, Glinka, and others for chords and short passages.
More From encyclopedia.com
Scale (music) , scale (in music)
scale, in music, any series of tones arranged in a step-by-step rising or falling order of pitch. A scale defines the interval relat… Scale , scale1 / skāl/ • n. 1. each of the small, thin horny or bony plates protecting the skin of fish and reptiles, typically overlapping one another. 2. s… Cosmoid Scale , Skip to main content
cosmoid scale scale insect , scale in·sect • n. a small insect (suborder Homoptera) with a protective shieldlike scale. It spends most of its life attached by its mouth to a sing… Scale (zoology) , scales The small bony or horny plates forming the body covering of fish and reptiles. The wings of some insects, notably the Lepidoptera (butterflies… Placoid Scale , Skip to main content
placoid scale
placoid scale (dermal centicle) A type of scale that comprises the basic unit of the hard skin cover of sharks. It…
You Might Also Like
NEARBY TERMS
whole-tone