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Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [diatonic]

For questions related to diatonicism. "Diatonic," literally meaning "across the tones," is perhaps better understood as the antonym of "chromatic," thereby meaning that diatonic music uses pitches within a single scale or key.

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Exactly what does "diatonic" mean?

Is the meaning very context dependent, or can it be defined in general terms? Does the meaning change by author or period? Sometimes it's used to refer to anything that stays within a specific tonal key or context, but sometimes when people talk…
NPN328
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Strict Diatonic Harmony in Minor Keys - is it even a thing?

I realize that minor keys normally add non-diatonic tones, particularly from the harmonic minor scale. Ruling that out, if we stick to the actual diatonic notes of the natural minor scale, and the seven triads based on them... Is strict diatonic…
Biscuit Taylor
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What do you mean by the tonic chord feels as 'home'?

I am new to the world of music theory and have some basic knowledge of the different modes of the major scale. As per my knowledge, every scale has a tonic chord which is essentially the one all other chords seem to revolve around. The tonic chord…
Ninad
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Is Chromatic a Synonym for Non-Diatonic in all cases?

Diatonic means notes from a scale/key. Usually the well-used major. Does that mean any other notes not included are all chromatic? Would using notes from a parallel key change the definition? Definitions seem to have changed over time. And why can't…
Tim
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Thomas Tank Engine theme tune chord sequence - why does it work?

I'm trying to gain some understanding of non-diatonic chord sequences and why they work. I've been listening to the Thomas the Tank Engine theme tune which I believe is in the key of C Major and the second chord is an Ab. It fits harmonically, but…
user307927
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Diatonic chords

My understanding from the circle of 5ths is that there are 6 diatonic chords for each key, is that because the the 7th chord is diminished?
Michael Whaley
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Is a note that is enharmonic to a diatonic note of some diatonic scale, also diatonic in regards to that scale?

I'm learning some music theory from a book, and encountered some question in my head that I can't seem to answer. The question is in the title: Is a note that is enharmonic to a diatonic note of some diatonic scale, also diatonic in regards to that…
YuvalHelman
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Compelling Use of Non-diatonic Chords in Rolling Stones

"Brown Sugar" by The Rolling Stones is in C major, but makes forays into E-flat major (based on the preview of the sheet music at least!). My guess is that the inclusion of these chords can be explained by blue notes present in the pentatonic…
286642
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Are all diatonic chords in the diminished scale diminished?

I think there's some confusion about the definition of the word 'diatonic'. I'm not using it here to refer to the the prominent primal pattern of the heptatonic scale that has a group of two and three whole steps separated by half steps, but rather…
Ethan Richardson
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Asymmetric scales with 7+ but less than 12 notes?

Is there any theoretical reason for not exploring n-note scales (7
sonicom
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Finding diatonic chords on guitar?

I'm trying to find the "easiest" way to find diatonic chords on the guitar. I'm thinking that I should just focus on the 6th and 5th strings and use barre chords. So I just decide on a key and then I count up the 6th and 5th strings for my entire…
user34288
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Help understanding this description of the diatonic scale

This is first time I've stumbled onto the diatonic table in my life. I Googled a lot, but I couldn't find answer for following: the table mentioned in the book I am reading, I don't understand where this A# G# F# D# C# come from in this diatonic…
administr4tor
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Why is the Dominant 7th based on the Diatonic Scale?

I understand that the Dominant 7th chord as a structure is called like that because its chord structure is playable from the Dominant in a Diatonic scale. However, I noticed that the same structure is playable in the Subdominant of the Melodic Minor…
Phy
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Passing note vs changed chord

I'm pretty new to theory, so apologies if this is a stupid question but I can't seem to figure this out. Let's assume I am in the key of C major and I want to play the following progression on guitar: Dm (ii) - Fmaj (IV) - Cmaj (I) What happens if,…
Rooirokbokkie
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Do Half steps in a diatonic scales need to be separated by two whole steps?

I've been reading about what makes a scale diatonic, and so far it seems that any scale that is constructed with a pattern of 5 whole steps and 2 half steps inside an octave could be considered diatonic, with the little added detail of needing half…
Bruno Alva
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