minor diatonic scale
- noun
- /ˈmaɪnər ˌdaɪəˈtɑnɪk skeɪl/
- Specialized
:
escala diatónica menor
- The minor diatonic scale consists of specific intervals that give it a distinct sound in music.
Examples
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The composer based the melody on a minor diatonic scale for a more melancholy effect.
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Learning to play the minor diatonic scale helps musicians understand minor keys in Western music.
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You can hear the use of a minor diatonic scale in many classical pieces.
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The minor diatonic scale is essential for understanding music theory.
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Can you play a minor diatonic scale on the piano?
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Learning to play the minor diatonic scale enhances a musician's ability to create emotional melodies.
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Many popular songs utilize the minor diatonic scale to evoke a sense of sadness.
Synonyms
2
5.9
A set of notes that sounds sad or serious
1
4.6
A musical scale that sounds sad because some notes are lower than in a major scale
A musical key that uses a pattern of notes and sounds sad or serious
Antonyms
- Specialized
A common eight-note pattern in Western music with small steps between third and fourth and seventh and eighth
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is fully compositional: 'minor' modifies a 'diatonic scale', and with 'diatonic' (seven-note) and 'scale' (ordered series of pitches) the phrase denotes the diatonic scale with minor-interval quality. This follows a regular adjective + noun pattern found cross-linguistically, so a learner who knows the musical senses of the constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
Minor diatonic scale gets its name from its parts: diatonic means a scale of seven notes that move step by step, and minor is an old word for 'smaller' that points to smaller steps between some notes. In this scale the step between the 2nd and 3rd notes and between the 5th and 6th notes is smaller, and that smaller step gives the scale its 'minor' or 'sad' sound, which is why musicians often use it for sad music.