Can a diminished unison exist?!
Question: Can a diminished unison exist!?
The way i'm thinking, a diminished unison can exist if you're identifying a step in a scale, such as Cb is the diminished unison of a C scale!. But if it's in terms of distance, it's impossible!. Is this correct, or am I just crazy!?Www@Enter-QA@Com
Answers:
Sure, it's a theoretical possibility!. A diminished unison above C4 would be Cb4!. But you're right!.!.!.it doesn't make any logical sense to call this an "ascending" interval -- we're going UP to a note LOWER than where we started!. But, if you apply the definition, that's correct!.
Here's another question along the same lines: what's the inversion of an augmented octave!?
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Here's another question along the same lines: what's the inversion of an augmented octave!?
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You are both wrong and right at the same time!. It is possible to have an augmented unison, or augmented 1st, but it is impossible to have a diminished unison/1st!. The reason for that is because for purposes of measuring intervals, augmented essentially means "more" while diminished essentially essentially means "less"!.
Let's use fifths for example, a half-step more than a perfect 5th is an augmented 5th- "More"
A half step less than a perfect 5th is a diminished 5th- "Less"
Okay, now how far apart are notes in a perfect unison!? Zero!. They are the same notes!. So you can augment those two notes!. You can move them further apart!. But you can't move them closer together!. No matter which way you move a note, it is still going to be a greater distance than a unison!. So it doesn't matter if you have F and F#, or F# and F, they are both augmented 1st's, or augmented unisons!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
Let's use fifths for example, a half-step more than a perfect 5th is an augmented 5th- "More"
A half step less than a perfect 5th is a diminished 5th- "Less"
Okay, now how far apart are notes in a perfect unison!? Zero!. They are the same notes!. So you can augment those two notes!. You can move them further apart!. But you can't move them closer together!. No matter which way you move a note, it is still going to be a greater distance than a unison!. So it doesn't matter if you have F and F#, or F# and F, they are both augmented 1st's, or augmented unisons!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
I concur with Ryan:
From C to Cb I would call an augmented unison, not a diminished unison!.
To augment is to make larger, to diminish is to make smaller, and we are making the interval larger!.
Of course, if you spell the Cb as a B, the interval would be a minor second, but we call intervals by the spelling of the notes!.
From C to C# an octave higher I would call an augmented octave!.
We can't call it a minor octave because C to C is a perfect octave, and perfect intervals could only be augmented or diminished!.
And here again, it would have a different name if spelled differently: if we call the C# a Db, it would be a minor ninth!.
From that C# to the next higher C I would call a diminished octave!.
The name will apply even though Db to C is a major seventh!.
I nominate Ryan for the 10-point bonus!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
From C to Cb I would call an augmented unison, not a diminished unison!.
To augment is to make larger, to diminish is to make smaller, and we are making the interval larger!.
Of course, if you spell the Cb as a B, the interval would be a minor second, but we call intervals by the spelling of the notes!.
From C to C# an octave higher I would call an augmented octave!.
We can't call it a minor octave because C to C is a perfect octave, and perfect intervals could only be augmented or diminished!.
And here again, it would have a different name if spelled differently: if we call the C# a Db, it would be a minor ninth!.
From that C# to the next higher C I would call a diminished octave!.
The name will apply even though Db to C is a major seventh!.
I nominate Ryan for the 10-point bonus!.Www@Enter-QA@Com
I see your point, Ryan!. Either way, you'd be increasing the distance between the two notes to a m2!.Www@Enter-QA@Com