noun
- the smallest interval used in Western music, equal to half a tone
Usage: music
Examples
- The distance between C and C-sharp is a semitone.
- Piano keys that are adjacent represent a semitone interval.
- She practiced playing chromatic scales, moving up by semitones.
- The melody uses several semitone steps to create tension.
- In equal temperament, an octave contains twelve semitones.
- The composer wrote a piece that featured many semitone progressions.