Terms terms terms

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SeveredVesper
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2010/06/12 23:21:27 (permalink)

Terms terms terms

Dissonant, atonal and enharmonic. Don't they mean practically the same thing?

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    bitflipper
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    Re:Terms terms terms 2010/06/13 13:04:38 (permalink)
    Not exactly. Such is the subtlety of the English language, that words can have similar but not quite the same meaning.

    Enharmonic just means frequencies that are not harmonically related. They need not necessarily be dissonant (think church bells). Atonal means no identifiable pitch (think wood blocks), so it qualifies as enharmonic but probably not dissonant.


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    brundlefly
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    Re:Terms terms terms 2010/06/13 15:27:03 (permalink)
    Enharmonic just means frequencies that are not harmonically related.



    Just to be clear, that's the description of inharmonic. Enharmonic refers to the different "spelling" of notes representing the same pitch but notated in different keys (e.g. F# vs. Gb).




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    dmbaer
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    Re:Terms terms terms 2010/06/13 16:01:05 (permalink)
    bitflipper

    Atonal means no identifiable pitch (think wood blocks), so it qualifies as enharmonic but probably not dissonant.
     
     
    Have to take issue with this answer, bit.  I believe "atonal" means no identifiable key, but (non-percussion) instruments playing atonal music usually are very much tuned to the conventional well-tempered western tuning we've been using for the last couple of centuries.


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