The semitone
Example: The song changes pitch by one semitone up.
Definition
"The semitone" is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western music, representing the pitch difference between two adjacent notes on a piano keyboard. It is the basic building block for scales and melodies, corresponding to one fret on a guitar or one key step on a piano.
Etymology
The term "the semitone" comes from Latin roots, where 'semi-' means half and 'tone' refers to a whole step in music. Thus, a semitone literally means half a tone, reflecting its position as the smallest interval in traditional Western music theory.
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"The semitone" appears in the Vocaplus list "English - Music - (A2) - set 1", containing 102 commonly used words.
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