Augmented unison
Encyclopedia
In modern Western tonal
music theory
an augmented unison is the interval
between two notes on the same staff position, or having the same note letter, whose alterations cause them, in ordinary equal temperament
, to be one semitone
apart. In other words, it is a unison
where one note has been raised by a half-step, such as B and B or C and C. The interval is often described as a chromatic semitone.
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
an augmented unison is the interval
Interval (music)
In music theory, an interval is a combination of two notes, or the ratio between their frequencies. Two-note combinations are also called dyads...
between two notes on the same staff position, or having the same note letter, whose alterations cause them, in ordinary equal temperament
Equal temperament
An equal temperament is a musical temperament, or a system of tuning, in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio. As pitch is perceived roughly as the logarithm of frequency, this means that the perceived "distance" from every note to its nearest neighbor is the same for...
, to be one semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
apart. In other words, it is a unison
Unison
In music, the word unison can be applied in more than one way. In general terms, it may refer to two notes sounding the same pitch, often but not always at the same time; or to the same musical voice being sounded by several voices or instruments together, either at the same pitch or at a distance...
where one note has been raised by a half-step, such as B and B or C and C. The interval is often described as a chromatic semitone.