diatonic

When played in these contexts, the loud instrument takes on a different style of tuning, called diatonic, which means it can play only a limited range of notes in a specific key.

Joel started playing his brother’s single-row diatonic button accordion at age 3 and first appeared on radio when he was 6.

Over a simple sequence of diatonic chords, played with compassion by the pianist Kirill Kuzmin, Cooke describes a couple circling their feelings with an amber-toned voice suspended between tears and solace.

Music that does not stray at all from its key is called diatonic.

Most accordionists who play Mexican music use button instruments called diatonic accordions, which produce different notes when the bellows are pushed and pulled.