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Diatonic

A musical scale of eight notes spanning one octave, consisting of an ascending pattern of two whole-steps, a half-step, three whole-steps and another half-step. There are two types of diatonic scale in common use in western music: the diatonic major scale and the diatonic minor scale. Music which includes notes outside of the diatonic in which the piece is written is said to be chromatic.

Related Articles:
  • Glossary: Chromatic
  • Glossary: Interval
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