Diatonic
Pertaining to the seven notes of a major or natural minor scale without chromatic alteration.
Category
keys
Origin
Greek
Length
186 words · 1 min read
About Diatonic
Diatonic refers to the collection of seven pitches that form a major or natural minor scale — the notes that "belong" to the prevailing key. A diatonic melody or chord progression uses only these seven notes, without introducing sharps, flats, or naturals from outside the key.
More keys terms
Modulation
View all keysterms →The process of changing from one key to another within a piece
TonicisationThe brief treatment of a non-tonic chord as a temporary tonic through the use of its own dominant or leading note.
Relative keyA major and minor key that share the same key signature but have different tonics.
Circle of FifthsA diagram arranging all twelve major and minor keys by ascending perfect fifths, showing their key-signature relationships.
Parallel KeyA major and minor key that share the same tonic note but have different key signatures, such as C major and C minor.
Synonyms
Antonyms
See Also
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v1 · 10/04/2026Browse all terms →