Microintervallic

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Pertaining to very small divisions of musical intervals smaller than a semitone; relating to the use or study of such minute pitch differences in music theory or performance; describing sound intervals that fall between conventional notes in pitch scales
2. Connected with intervals in music that are tinier than the usual smallest step, involving detailed pitch distinctions in composition or analysis; concerning microtonality and the precise nuances of sound frequency intervals; indicating acoustic relationships defined by exceptionally subtle differences in tone spacing
3. Involving minute pitch separations in musical tuning that do not conform to standard chromatic intervals; associated with the exploration or implementation of intervals measured in fractions smaller than a half step; referring to tonal intervals that exhibit fine gradations within musical scales or tone systems

Etymology: "Interval" comes from Latin "intervallum," meaning a space between ramparts or walls, built from "inter" (between) and "vallum" (rampart). Musicians took the image of a gap between two points and applied it to the distance between two pitches. "Micro-" comes from Greek "mikros," meaning small, and "-ic" is an adjective ending that turns the noun into a description. The whole formation is a modern technical compound, built from these parts to name tunings that divide the octave more finely than the twelve semitones of standard Western music. It describes intervals smaller than a half step and the scales that use them.

Synonyms: microtonal, microtonic, micropitched

Antonyms: macrointervallic, macrotonal, standardtonal