Relating to tones that combine in a consonant pattern or to parts arranged in balanced relation.
Reach for it when describing audible consonance or an ordered relationship among components
The singers sustained a clear harmonic pattern beneath the solo line.
| everyday | |
|---|---|
| warm | |
| professional | |
| formal | |
| literary |
everyday
Fits when parts support one another without one dominating
Careful Balanced is a structural metaphor and says nothing precise about sound.
warm
Fits when the combined effect is pleasing and well balanced
Careful Harmonious evaluates the result, while harmonic can describe a technical tonal relationship.
professional
consonant
Fits when tones sound stable together within the musical system
Careful Consonant is technical and can refer to speech sounds or agreement outside music.
professional
tonal
Fits when organization around pitch or key is the relevant fact
Careful Tonal music may contain harsh dissonance and is not automatically harmonic.
formal
chordal
Fits when the texture is organized in simultaneous chords
Careful Chordal writing can be strongly dissonant and excludes single-line harmonic overtones.
literary
Fits when sound is rich, sustained, and emotionally carrying
Careful Resonance concerns vibration and effect, not whether intervals form a harmonic relation.
harmonic pattern
A repeating harmonic pattern gives the movement quiet cohesion.
harmonic balance
The engineer adjusted harmonic balance without flattening the instrument's character.
harmonic interval
Each harmonic interval was tuned against the sustained bass note.
rich harmonic texture
A rich harmonic texture emerged from only four voices.
Definitions and examples are written for this site. How words are chosen Recording: Wodencafe, American accent, from Wikimedia Commons, CC0 Updated
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