Steps and skips

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Major second on C.
Step: major second. Playⓘ
Major third on C.
Skip: Major third. Playⓘ
A chorale melody containing only steps, no skips: "Jesu, Leiden, Pein, und Tod". Playⓘ

In

musical scale. In other words, it is the interval between two consecutive scale degrees. Any larger interval is called a skip (also called a leap), or disjunct motion.[1]

In the

minor second (sometimes also called half step) or a major second (sometimes also called whole step), with all intervals of a minor third or larger being skips. For example, C to D (major second) is a step, whereas C to E (major third
) is a skip.

More generally, a step is a smaller or narrower interval in a musical line, and a skip is a wider or larger interval with the categorization of intervals into steps and skips is determined by the tuning system and the pitch space used.

Melodic motion in which the interval between any two consecutive pitches is no more than a step, or, less strictly, where skips are rare, is called stepwise or conjunct melodic motion, as opposed to skipwise or disjunct melodic motion, characterized by frequent skips.

Half steps

In the major scale or any of its modes, a step will always be a movement of 1 or 2 semitones, and a skip a movement of 3 or more semitones.

In other scales an augmented second—an incomposite step equivalent to 3 semitones—and/or a diminished third—a skip of 2 semitones—may be possible.

Melody

"Pop Goes the Weasel" melody[2] is primarily steps. Playⓘ
Webern's Variations for orchestra (1940), op. 30 (pp.23–24) melody[3] is primarily skips. Playⓘ

diatonic idiom of the 18th century (Classical), the variety of idioms from the 19th century (Romantic), and newer nondiatonic scales in the 20th century.[5]
Some of these later idioms included many or predominantly leaps.

See also

References

  1. ^
    ISBN 0-13-193104-0
    .
  2. ISBN 0-13-049346-5
    .
  3. ^ Marquis, G. Welton (1964). Twentieth Century Music Idioms, p.2. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
  4. ^ Bonds (2006), p.43.
  5. ^ Bonds (2006), p.540.
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