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quinta

quinta

8.1
A musical distance of five notes that sounds open and strong
  • noun
  • /ˈkwɪn.tə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : quinta
  • The teacher asked the students to sing a quinta above the root note.

Examples

  • The melody begins with a quinta that gives the piece a sense of openness.

  • In classical harmony, a perfect quinta is considered very stable.

  • A quinta is a key concept in music.

  • The interval of a quinta is crucial in music theory.

  • The teacher asked the students to sing a quinta above the root note.

  • In classical harmony, a perfect quinta is considered very stable.

  • The interval of a quinta is crucial in music theory.

Synonyms

interval
vsquinta
  • Specialized
2 5.7

The difference in pitch between two notes

is the specific pitch gap that spans five diatonic scale degrees
fifth
vsquinta
  • Specialized
5.8

Distance between two musical notes when one is five notes higher

is the same interval but given an alternative name in some contexts
quinte
vsquinta
  • Archaic
9.9

An interval in music spanning five notes, like a perfect fifth

is the same interval but more commonly named in modern usage

Surface Forms

quinta singular
quintas plural

Etymology

In music, quinta comes from Latin quintus, 'fifth', and is like the English word quintet, which also shows the idea of five. That's why a musical quinta is the interval of a 'fifth' between two notes.