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General Interest > Music, Art, and Media
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Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments
    #19247732 -

Alright so this is probably are really stupid beginner question but I feel as if its an important question to ask and understand. So what is the difference of a fully chromatic instrument an a diatonic one? What are the pros and cons of each? I have a simple underatanding of chromatic and diatonic but I want a more acquired intelligence on the subject.

Also...

I want to as many examples of chromatic instruments and as many examples of diatonic instruments as possible, please? I believe I know of the obvious ones but I'm unsure of others...


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...also, go to hell, huh?

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: GreySatyr]
    #19249253 -

Diatonic instruments are restricted in what scales you can play. Most of the diatonic scales go up in steps of two half tones between each note, and sometimes one half tone. This gives the sound character of the scale. If you, for example, place the half tone steps between notes 3&4 and 7&8, you get a major scale. The notes on diatonic instruments sort of make sense together. Because of that this type of instrument is good if you are an absolute beginner, it doesn't have so much of an "ouch it sounds shitty I need to stop again"-effect. After a while they get boring though, as you expand your knowledge and skill you will come to a point where you want to be able to switch between scales and be free in how you design your scales.
Examples for diatonic instruments would be mountain dulcimer, Irish whistles, diatonic harmonicas.

Chromatic instruments have the full range of half tones, which means you can build every kind of scale on every base note. This can be confusing at first but if you learn a chromatic instrument properly you will know your way around musical structures very well. On chromatic instruments you can jam along with any song and you're most flexible, all in all.
Examples are piano, guitar, and harp.


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~notice your next breath~

Edited by woaronun (12/09/13 10:11 AM)

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: woaronun]
    #19249479 -

The reason I am asking is to broaden my knowledge on musical theory an instruments in general. I thought a diatonic instrument was simply an instrument that wasn't capable of playing sharps or flats. I think that's what you basically described but in more words so correct me if I'm wrong. I'm also waning to understand the musical relationships between instruments in the bands that we discuss in our other thread. :wink: haha.

Also, a harp would be diatonic unless it had pedals or levers or create sharps and flats, is that correct? So a traditional Irish flute would be a diatonic instrument however if it had keys would that make it a chromatic instrument? Also, the didgeridoo, is it limited to one note or is it diatonic? I imagine the slidgeridoo is diatonic at least. Bagpipes would be diatonic as would a hammered dulcimer? But the violin and Stand up bass is chromatic? What are some other chromatic instruments? So the hammered dulcimer would be diatonic as would the pan pipes...

Am I getting this correct?


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...also, go to hell, huh?

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: GreySatyr]
    #19249654 -

Sharp and Flat are relative terms, they just mean "a half note higher" and "a half note lower". If you transform an F major scale down one half note you end up with an E major scale, which is one half note flat compared to F major. I wouldn't describe diatonics with these terms.

A didgeridoo can only produce a few notes around the base note so it doesn't have a scale at all. A slide didge isn't bound to certain notes so it is not bound by the twelve-tone system we use, it is neither diatonic nor chromatic. Technically the same can be said about the violin, but then it is generally used for "normal" notes and then it is chromatic. Hammered dulcimers come in many different characteristics, I've seen diatonic and even super simple pentatonic ones, but the big ones should be chromatic.
Bagpipes are diatonic.


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~notice your next breath~

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: woaronun]
    #19249679 -

Fucking confusing, man.


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...also, go to hell, huh?

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: GreySatyr]
    #19253702 -

Only in the beginning. As soon as you get the hang of it whole musical worlds are open to you :yesnod:


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~notice your next breath~

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Re: Chromatic VS Diatonic Instruments [Re: woaronun]
    #19254320 -

Yeah, I know, man. I've already drawn that conclusion, lol.


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