whole tone
1
6.6
- noun
- /hoʊl toʊn/
- Specialized
:
tono entero
- Then suddenly the whole tone changes; the chant breaks into a rapid, excited hymn of joy.
- whole tone scale
So we have two augmented triads in the whole tone scale a whole step apart.
- So we have two augmented triads in the whole tone scale a whole step apart.
- Then I come down E whole tone again, but then I go.
- It's also known as the Superlogrian mode or the diminished whole tone scale.
Examples
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White keys are separated by whole tones.
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I also prefer the major scale over the whole-tone scale because it combines whole steps and half steps.
Academic text (2007) -
Then I come down E whole tone again, but then I go.
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- The whole tone... - Is just...
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So we have two augmented triads in the whole tone scale a whole step apart.
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"Take the 'A' Train," from the same album, provides the opportunity to introduce the use of the whole-tone scale in improvising.
Academic text (1994) -
The melody is constructed using a series of whole tones to create a smooth sound.
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In music theory, a whole tone consists of two semitones, forming the basis of many scales.
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To play a whole tone, you move from one note to another by skipping a half step.
Synonyms
19
7.5
A musical pitch change equal to two half steps like C to D
1
5.4
The distance between two notes that are two piano keys apart
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning (a musical interval of two semitones) is related to the constituents: 'whole' (entire/complete) + 'tone' (a musical pitch), so learners can infer that it denotes a larger or 'full' unit of pitch rather than a single semitone. However, the precise quantitative sense (exactly two semitones) is a specialized, domain-specific detail not predictable from everyday knowledge of the words, so it is only partially transparent — many languages have an equivalent musical term which helps recognition but prior musical knowledge is typically required.
Etymology
The musical term whole tone comes from the image of a whole or full tone as one big step between notes. Imagine walking up stairs and taking one big step that covers two small steps called 'semitones', so a whole tone means a distance of two 'semitones'.