0 belonging or relating to a major or minor musical scale consisting of five full tones and two semitones --
Here, the frequencies of the diatonic scale tones are derived from a chain of pure fifths.
But this criterion might seem inappropriate, for we have already observed that the scalar organisation of these melodies is pentatonic, not diatonic.
The resulting melodies were similar to the random ones, with some greater tendency for diatonic pitches and less jagged melodic contours.
The chromatic chords challenge the diatonic ones, and the effect is of a dialectic.
He also explores more consonant minimalist-like textures from which simple diatonic/modal melodies emerge.
Why use two different diatonic 'yardsticks' for aspects of musical practice that were so closely related to one another?
We could define a step in diatonic terms - that is, a minor second or major second.
The first is the equivalency of the ' ' diatonic,' ' ' ' modal' ' and ' ' octatonic' ' passages.