semitone
1
7.0
- noun
- /ˈsɛmɪˌtoʊn/
- Specialized
:
semitono
- An interval is the distance counted in semitones or half steps from one note to the next.
- errors of semitones
Hexatonic refers to a six note scale that alternates semitones and minor thirds.
- Hexatonic refers to a six note scale that alternates semitones and minor thirds.
Examples
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The guitar, a Western instrument based on the division of the octave into twelve equal semitones, is already experiencing fret placement that will make the performance of music from other cultures (even those that use quarter-tones) possible.
Academic text (1998) -
The values obtained were then transferred to an Excel file where the interval between them was calculated in semitones.
Academic text (2012) -
They'll join in at a semitone lower than that and it drives me mad so I'll ditch them.
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Even reluctant or shy students can be encouraged to take small steps, perhaps to increase their vocal ranges by one semitone at a time, for instance.
Academic text (2011) -
Hexatonic refers to a six note scale that alternates semitones and minor thirds.
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In the present study, all errors were three semitones or smaller, thus fitting within the category of intervals those authors found to be harder to detect.
Academic text (2013) -
For example, if a musician is given several different tonal centers for starting points for a Beethoven symphony (e.g., one semitone sharp or flat), where will a musician adjust the tonal center to be?
Academic text (2011) -
A semitone is the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano keyboard.
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When tuning a guitar, adjusting a string by one semitone changes its pitch slightly.
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To create a minor second interval, you need to move up a semitone from the original note.
Synonyms
3
4.4
The smallest jump between two notes in Western music, one piano key apart
How Large
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
The word semitone combines the prefix semi- meaning 'half' and tone meaning 'sound' or 'pitch'. So a semitone is a 'half' step in pitch, the small interval between two keys next to each other on a piano.