Dyad (music)
Encyclopedia
In music
, a dyad is a set of two notes or pitches
. Although most chords
have three or more notes, in certain contexts a dyad may be considered to be a chord. The most common two-note chord is made from the interval of a perfect fifth
, which may be suggestive of music of the Medieval or Renaissance periods, or various kinds of rock music. When fifths are missing from major or minor tertian triads, on the other hand, they are generally still considered triads, rather than dyads.
Since an interval is the distance between two pitches, dyads may be classified by the interval each entails. When the pitches of a dyad occur in succession, they may be regarded as forming a melodic interval. When they occur simultaneously, they may be regarded as forming a harmonic interval.
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
, a dyad is a set of two notes or pitches
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
. Although most chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
have three or more notes, in certain contexts a dyad may be considered to be a chord. The most common two-note chord is made from the interval of a perfect fifth
Perfect fifth
In classical music from Western culture, a fifth is a musical interval encompassing five staff positions , and the perfect fifth is a fifth spanning seven semitones, or in meantone, four diatonic semitones and three chromatic semitones...
, which may be suggestive of music of the Medieval or Renaissance periods, or various kinds of rock music. When fifths are missing from major or minor tertian triads, on the other hand, they are generally still considered triads, rather than dyads.
Since an interval is the distance between two pitches, dyads may be classified by the interval each entails. When the pitches of a dyad occur in succession, they may be regarded as forming a melodic interval. When they occur simultaneously, they may be regarded as forming a harmonic interval.