Which term means a full two steps up or down in pitch?

Which term means a full two steps up or down in pitch?

• A. Con
• B. Step
• C. Unison
• D. Skip

Answer: (D)

In melodic movement, the vocabulary for small jumps uses step, skip, and leap. A step is moving to the next note in the scale. A skip describes moving by a third—that is, two scale steps up or down. A leap is larger than a third (fourth or more). So when you move two steps in pitch, you’re moving by a third, which is called a skip. For example, going from C to E is a skip because you’ve hopped over one intervening note. Unison means no pitch change at all, so it isn’t a skip. The other term isn’t a standard label for this motion, so skip is the precise term.

In melodic movement, the vocabulary for small jumps uses step, skip, and leap. A step is moving to the next note in the scale. A skip describes moving by a third—that is, two scale steps up or down. A leap is larger than a third (fourth or more). So when you move two steps in pitch, you’re moving by a third, which is called a skip. For example, going from C to E is a skip because you’ve hopped over one intervening note. Unison means no pitch change at all, so it isn’t a skip. The other term isn’t a standard label for this motion, so skip is the precise term.