Definition of Pentatonic scale

1. Noun. A gapped scale with five notes; usually the fourth and seventh notes of the diatonic scale are omitted.

Exact synonyms: Pentatone
Generic synonyms: Gapped Scale
Derivative terms: Pentatonic

Definition of Pentatonic scale

1. Noun. (music) a scale having five notes per octave ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Lexicographical Neighbors of Pentatonic Scale

pentasulfide
pentasulfides
pentasulphide
pentasulphides
pentasyllabic
pentateuchal
pentathionic
pentathionic acid
pentathiophene
pentathlete
pentathletes
pentathlon
pentathlons
pentatomic
pentatonic
pentatonic scale (current term)
pentatonic scales
pentatriacontane
pentatriacontanoic
pentatriacontanoic acid
pentatriene
pentatrienes
pentavalent
pentavalent gas gangrene antitoxin
pentaxin
pentaxins
pentazocine
pentazocines
pentazole
pentazoles

Literary usage of Pentatonic scale

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Afro-American Folksongs: A Study in Racial and National Music by Henry Edward Krehbiel (1914)
"Fourth and seventh are the tones which are lacking in the pentatonic scale, and the songs without one or the other of them approach the pentatonic songs in ..."

2. Chippewa Music by Frances Densmore (1910)
"This is the scale commonly known as the major pentatonic scale. Following the system set forth by Helmholtz, the terms "second five-toned scale" and "fourth ..."

3. Grove's Dictionary of Music and Musicians by George Grove, John Alexander Fuller-Maitland (1907)
"pentatonic scale. The name given to an early tonality of very imperfect construction, but extremely beautiful in its aesthetic aspect, and peculiar to a ..."

4. The Making of Sound in the Organ and in the Orchestra: An Analysis of the by Hermann Smith (1911)
"Resemblance of the Assyrian Music to that of other Ancient Oriental Nations—The pentatonic scale—The Present Existence of the pentatonic scale in various ..."

5. Some Essentials in Musical Definitions for Music Students by Marie Florence McConnell (1909)
"pentatonic scale. pentatonic scales are scales consisting of five tones or notes in the ... The pentatonic scale is also characteristic of Scotch music. ..."

6. Primitive Music: An Inquiry Into the Origin and Development of Music, Songs by Richard Wallaschek (1893)
"Thus Engel considered the pentatonic scale as being easier for children (and primitive people) than the diatonic. Others, as Waterhouse, went as far- back ..."

7. Primitive Music: An Inquiry Into the Origin and Development of Music, Songs by Richard Wallaschek (1893)
"Thus Engel considered the pentatonic scale as being easier for children (and ... Mr. Claude Trevelyan assures us that the pentatonic scale is not only ..."

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