Talk:Augmented fifth

Diatonic and chromatic
The article uses the term "diatonic" controversially, and without adequate explanation. This term, along with chromatic, is the cause of serious uncertainties at several Wikipedia articles, and in the broader literature. Some of us thought that both terms needed special coverage, so we started up a new article: Diatonic and chromatic. Why not have a look, and join the discussion? Be ready to have comfortable assumptions challenged! –&thinsp; Noetica ♬♩&thinsp;Talk 06:13, 6 April 2007 (UTC)

Diatonic interval?
As the article stands, a reader would come away from it with the assurance that the augmented fifth is a diatonic interval, despite the fact that it has no "diatonic occurrence". (Read, checking for occurrences of the word diatonic.) Is this a good idea? In a couple of senses the interval is diatonic, but in a couple of other senses it is not (see Diatonic and chromatic). Perhaps this needs some work.

–&thinsp; Noetica ♬♩&thinsp;Talk 04:28, 9 December 2007 (UTC)

History of the augmented fifth?
The historical account of the appearance and development of the augmented fifth in this article is somewhat fanciful. It mentions "composers seeking to strengthen the normally weak seventh degree when composing music in minor modes", but I wonder what it means to "strengthen" the seventh degree, and why it should be "normally weak". Raising the seventh degree had been a constant practice in the Renaissance in modes with a subtonic.

The article further describes augmented triads on the third degree of the minor mode, but such a chord is extremely rare in common practice tonality, as clearly explained (with examples!) in the Augmented triad article, which rightly says that "it virtually never occurs" and describes it as "touching to the atonal."

That is to say that the augmented fifth does not really belong to common practice. It belongs to late-19th-century chromaticism and, of course, to "popular" music. It is striking that no source is given for the narrated history. — Hucbald.SaintAmand (talk) 08:41, 17 July 2021 (UTC)