Enharmonic

The term enharmonic has several meanings.

In regards to intervals or notes:

• Two intervals or notes an enharmonic diesis apart, such as the augmented fourth and the diminished fifth, or C♯ and D♭. In 12edo, such intervals or notes are tuned to the same size or pitch, so they are enharmonically equivalent. In any tuning whose perfect fifth is not the same as 12edo's, enharmonic intervals or notes are distinct.
• By extension, intervals mapped to the same number of steps in any tempered tuning system. This is technically a misnomer that arose from the ubiquity of 12edo. The clearer term is equivalent or equated. For example, in 5edo, E and F are equivalent/equated since they are both mapped to 480 cents above C.

In regards to scales:

• A mos scale of 17 or 19 notes that is 7a 12b or 5a 12b with unspecified sizes for a and b (descended from 5L 2s such that diatonic enharmonic equivalents become distinct generic interval classes), which can be:
  • 7L 12s (f-enharmonic)
  • 12L 7s (m-enharmonic)
  • 12L 5s (p-enharmonic)
  • 5L 12s (s-enharmonic)
• The enharmonic genus, a genus in ancient Greek music theory containing scales with comma-sized steps

See also

• Diatonic, chromatic, enharmonic, subchromatic – an in-depth discussion on these concepts
• Enharmonic unison – an interval equated to a unison

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