A

David

Darling

semitone

semitones

Intervals of a semitone.


A semitone, also called a half step or half tone, is an interval of a minor second, this being (usually) the smallest interval used in Western music (see microtone for exceptions). A semitone is the interval between two neighboring tones on a piano keyboard, including black and white keys; for example, B–C, C–C sharp, E flat–E natural. An octave can be divided into 12 semitones.