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A '''Subfifth''' is a term for an awkward interval range that is too narrow to be perfect fifth, yet too wide to be a conventional tritone. It is a peculiar interval in that it has a range of producing a massive amount of overtones to the point of heavily distorting the timbre of any instrument that it is played on. The interval is normally considered a[[16/11| 16/11]] and is quite harsh regardless of timbre, but some are worse than others. Regardless of what the name suggests, a subfifth isn't really a type of perfect fifth but rather can be thought of as related to the tritone, however, the interval really is a class in it's own right.  
A '''subfifth''', '''infrafifth''' or '''semidiminished fifth''' is an [[interval]] that spans four steps of the [[5L 2s|diatonic]] scale with a quality between diminished and perfect. It exists in [[neutralization|neutralized]] diatonic scales as exactly one half of a minor ninth.  


The subfifth has a xen appeal because it is a sound that is so far from anything possible in 12 ET or 5 limit JI that it resembles the very essence of the term "out of tune". Anyone who does not enjoy rough intervals will hate this interval range with a passion. This is for those who can find beauty in the harsh and dissonant.
In [[just intonation]], an interval may be classified as a subfifth if it is reasonably mapped to [[7edo|4\7]] and [[24edo|13\24]] (precisely four steps of the diatonic scale and six and a half steps of the chromatic scale).


See [[16/11|16/11]] or [[22/15|22/15]] for examples.
As a concrete [[interval region]], it is typically near 650{{cent}} in size. It is too narrow to sound like a [[perfect fifth]] and too wide to sound like a [[tritone]]. [[Margo Schulter]], in her article [http://www.bestii.com/%7Emschulter/IntervalSpectrumRegions.txt Regions of the Interval Spectrum], proposes an approximate range for a subfifth to be from 640{{cent}} to 672{{cent}}. Of course, this categorization should not be taken for granted. Since music is subjective and culturally influenced, the borders of what is a superfourth are "fuzzy". Other descriptions are possible and legitimate.
[[Category:interval]]
 
[[Category:subfifth]]
Some of the simplest subfifths in [[just intonation]] are [[16/11]] (about 649{{c}}) and [[22/15]] (about 663{{c}}), both undecimal (11-based) subfifths; and [[35/24]] (about 653{{c}}) and [[72/49]] (about 666{{c}}), both septimal (7-based) subfifths.
 
Information about subfifths in the conventional interval region format may be found at [[Tritone]].
 
The inversion of a subfifth is a [[superfourth]].
 
== See also ==
* [[Superfourth]] – the [[octave complement]] region
 
{{Navbox intervals}}
 
[[Category:Subfifth| ]] <!-- main article -->