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Meaning of "whole-tone scale" in the English dictionary

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DICTIONARY
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PRONUNCIATION OF WHOLE-TONE SCALE

whole-tone scale play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF WHOLE-TONE SCALE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Whole-Tone scale is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES WHOLE-TONE SCALE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Whole tone scale

In music, a whole tone scale is a scale in which each note is separated from its neighbors by the interval of a whole step. There are only two complementary whole tone scales, both six-note or hexatonic scales: The whole tone scale has no leading tone and because all tones are the same distance apart, "no single tone stands out, the scale creates a blurred, indistinct effect". This effect is especially emphasized by the fact that triads built on such scale tones are augmented. Indeed, one can play all six tones of a whole tone scale simply with two augmented triads whose roots are a major second apart. Since they are symmetrical, whole tone scales do not give a strong impression of the tonic or tonality. Augmented triad on C Play . Augmented triad on D Play . The composer Olivier Messiaen called the whole tone scale his first mode of limited transposition. The composer and music theorist George Perle calls the whole tone scale interval cycle 2, or C2. Since there are only two possible whole tone scale positions, it is either C20 or C21.

Definition of whole-tone scale in the English dictionary

The definition of whole-tone scale in the dictionary is either of two scales produced by commencing on one of any two notes a chromatic semitone apart and proceeding upwards or downwards in whole tones for an octave. Such a scale, consisting of six degrees to the octave, is used by Debussy and subsequent composers.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE WHOLE-TONE SCALE

whole gale
whole hog
whole milk
whole note
whole number
whole step
whole tone
whole-hog
whole-hogger
whole-life insurance
whole-wheat
wholefood
wholefoods
wholegrain
wholegrains
wholehearted
wholeheartedly
wholeheartedness
wholemeal
wholeness

WORDS THAT END LIKE WHOLE-TONE SCALE

Beaufort scale
downscale
economies of scale
full-scale
grayscale
large-scale
limescale
locale
microscale
nanoscale
pay scale
pentatonic scale
rescale
scale
sliding scale
small-scale
subscale
timescale
upscale
wage scale
world scale

Synonyms and antonyms of whole-tone scale in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «whole-tone scale» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF WHOLE-TONE SCALE

Find out the translation of whole-tone scale to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of whole-tone scale from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «whole-tone scale» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

全音规模
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

escala de tonos enteros
570 millions of speakers

English

whole-tone scale
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

पूरे टोन पैमाने
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

على نطاق و كلها لهجة
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

шкала весь тон
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

de tons inteiros escala
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

পুরো টোন স্কেল
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

gamme par tons entiers
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Skala nada keseluruhan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

Ganztonleiter
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

全音音階
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

온 - 톤 스케일
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Ukuran kabeh-nada
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

quy mô toàn bộ giai điệu
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

முழு தொனி அளவு
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

संपूर्ण टोन स्केल
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

Tam tonlu ölçek
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

scala a toni interi
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

ton w skali całego
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

шкала весь тон
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

scară tot - ton
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

κλίμακα ολόκληρου τόνου
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

heeltoon- skaal
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

heltonsskala
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

hel- tone skala
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of whole-tone scale

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «WHOLE-TONE SCALE»

The term «whole-tone scale» is used very little and occupies the 151.731 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Rarely used
29
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «whole-tone scale» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of whole-tone scale
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «whole-tone scale».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «WHOLE-TONE SCALE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «whole-tone scale» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «whole-tone scale» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about whole-tone scale

EXAMPLES

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «WHOLE-TONE SCALE»

Discover the use of whole-tone scale in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to whole-tone scale and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Symmetric Solutions
This book is full of great sounds that you can use on standard jazz progressions, vamps, funk tunes, Brazilian tunes - whole-tone can be used just about anywhere.
Bruce Saunders, 2011
2
The Structure & Analysis of the Modern Improvised Line: Theory
Therefore the scale should be treated in the same way as the mode discussed earlier in the chapter. E. Application Of The Whole Tone Scale The Whole Tone scale is a 6-note scale composed entirely of ascending or descending whole steps.
David Zinn, 1981
3
Jazz Theory and Practice
The most easily recognized of the symmetrical scales, other than the chromatic, is the whole-tone scale. Most musicians encounter this scale through traditional study on their instruments. Since there are no half steps (minor 2nds) in this scale  ...
Hellmer, Jeffrey, Lawn, Richard
4
The Birth of Bebop: A Social and Musical History
But Chu Berry doesn't use it that way. He treats it as an opportunity to slip into a well-worn chromatic device: the whole-tone scale. A whole- tone scale is, simply, a scale made up entirely of whole steps. (There are, in fact, only two such scales:  ...
Scott Knowles DeVeaux, 1997
5
The Jazz Language: A Theory Text for Jazz Composition and ...
W 1/2 W '/2 W 1/2 W +2nd i/2 +2nd i/2 +2nd i/2 The previous chart should make apparent the symmetrical nature of these scales. Example 1 shows each of the scales built on the note C. Example 1 Chromatic Scale Whole Tone Scale ...
Dan Haerle, 1980
6
Mastering Jazz Keyboard
WHOLE TONE SCALE The whole tone scale is a six note scale that consists entirely of whole steps. There are really only two whole tone scales, C and D . Once you get to D, you're just repeating the C scale from another note and the concept ...
Noah Baerman, 1998
7
The Early Works of Arnold Schoenberg, 1893-1908
On the second beat, above the B\>, the upper parts form a four-part whole-tone chord (Bt-D-Fit-Gtt), which then breaks off into a run containing all notes of the whole-tone scale. The scale here is literally generated from the kind of whole- tone ...
Walter Frisch, 1997
8
Getting Into Jazz Fusion Guitar
The Whole-Tone scale is a symmetric scale built upon the following pattern: whole step, whole step, whole step, whole step, whole step, whole step. The construction of the whole-tone scale can be seen as the combination of two augmented ...
Scott Miller, 2002
9
Serious Electric Bass: The Bass Player's Complete Guide to ...
The Whole-tone Scale: 1 . Interval construction: The whole-tone scale, the third symmetric scale, is a six note scale made up of nothing but whole steps. L 2. Scale type and tonic chord: The whole-tone scale is a dominant scale. It has a maj3 ...
Bartolo, Joel Di
10
Patterns for Jazz -- A Theory Text for Jazz Composition and ...
The student will notice, however, that in the illustrated C whole tone scale, the distance between tones No. 1 and No. 7 appears to be a seventh interval. Theoretically it is an augmented seventh interval which when spelled enharmonically ...
Coker, Jerry, Casale, James, Campbell, Gary

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «WHOLE-TONE SCALE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term whole-tone scale is used in the context of the following news items.
1
KEEPIN' IT CLASSICAL: Passionate nationalism and minimalism
Glinka uses the whole-tone scale as a musical theme for Chernomor, and the composer is credited with being the first to apply the whole-tone scale in such a ... «Planet Jackson Hole, Jul 15»
2
SQUEEDLEPUSS LET THE JAMS RUN FREE
"Scarecrow" has King Crimson-style whole-tone scale excursions; "The Enchanted One" is a minor key, Latin-tinged number that morphs into a hard-edged ... «Folio Weekly, Dec 14»
3
Abduraimov lights up Rachmaninoff at Symphony Hall
The Overture to Glinka's 1842 opera “Ruslan and Ludmila” is a five-minute firebird in miniature sonata form with a whole-tone scale near the end. Dutoit doesn't ... «Boston Globe, Apr 14»
4
Future Rock: Symmetrical Scale Silliness
As I mentioned, creating a whole-tone scale couldn't be easier, just keep ... A whole-tone scale creates an unfinished, dreamy quality since it doesn't really ... «Premier Guitar, Apr 14»
5
Kavakos, London Symphony Orchestra, Bychkov, Barbican Hall
... method, and here lays out his main building blocks so that a series of major and minor triads spring out, as well as suggestions of a whole-tone scale. «The Arts Desk, Nov 12»
6
The Real Rach 4
Writing in the Herald Tribune, Lawrence Gilman noted of the new concerto that that despite its “somewhat naïve camouflage of whole-tone scales [sic] and ... «Limelight Magazine, Nov 12»
7
On music theory: from Mozart to Marilyn Manson
Biamonte frequently illustrates her point by moving over to the piano, whether it is to explain the unsettling atmosphere created by the whole-tone scale (a ... «McGill Reporter, Apr 12»
8
Concert Review: Washington Performing Arts Society Hosts Till …
Based on an iteration of two whole-tone scales, the work inevitably carried overtones of the misty music of Debussy and Messiaen, who used similar scales, ... «Washingtonian.com, Oct 11»
9
Nosing around II – music and perfume
Debussy's discovery of the whole-tone scale and of music from the Far East at the gateway of the 20th century was a defining moment when his style changed ... «Telegraph.co.uk, Jan 11»
10
Joe Henderson (with Lee Morgan): Caribbean Fire Dance
He returns from the stratosphere on the bridge, moving self-consciously up and down a whole-tone scale. Morgan toys with rhythmic ideas that recall the ... «Jazz.com, Jul 09»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Whole-Tone scale [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/whole-tone-scale>. May 2024 ».
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