• What Every Serious Musician Needs To Know About The Semitone

    in General Music,Piano,Theory

    Our focus in today’s lesson is on the semitone.

    So many intermediate players would dismiss this lesson because it has to do with the semitone. However, there are important tips about the semitone that a vast majority of musicians don’t know yet; not because it’s difficult, but because it’s too simple.

    It’s good to learn complicated concepts and advanced techniques, however, the importance of learning and being grounded in basic concepts like the semitone cannot be over-emphasized.

    In the next 10 minutes or so, you’ll be learning the proper definition of the semitone, its occurrence, and most importantly, the two semitone types.

    The Semitone – Explained

    It is important for us to lay the foundation of this study by expounding on the octave. Permit me to do that quickly before we proceed.

    A Short Note On The Octave

    There are eight components in every key, and the octave is the eighth component in a key (be it a major or minor key). In the key of C major:

    “Check Out The Eight Components…”

    C is the tonic

    D is the supertonic

    E is the mediant

    F is the subdominant

    G is the dominant

    A is the submediant

    B is the subtonic

    C is the octave

    The octave (which is C):

    …is the eighth component in the key of C major:

    …and a duplicate of the first note in the key (aka – “tonic”):

    …which is also C.

    The term octave can be used in other subtle ways too. For example, the interval between the tonic (C):

    …and the octave (C):

    …is an octave:

    Also, all the notes within the compass of a octave:

    …can be considered as an octave. Hence, there are twelve musical notes:

    …within an octave:

    Seven natural notes:

    …and five accidental notes:

    “What Is A Semitone?”

    The semitone is usually defined as the shortest musical distance between two musical notes, and there’s nothing wrong with that definition. There are no notes between E and F:

    …on the piano. Consequently, the musical distance between them is a semitone.

    “Here’s How Music Scholars Define The Semitone…”

    The semitone is a product of the division of the octave into TWELVE EQUAL PARTS. If you do the math, a semitone is one-twelfth of an octave.

    Now, the good news here is that you don’t need slice the octave:

    …into twelve equal parts by yourself – the octave [by default] consists of twelve musical notes with equal distances between them.

    The distance from C-C (which is an octave):

    …consists of twelve equal parts.

    “Check Them Out…”

    C to C#:

    …is the first part.

    C# to D:

    …is the second part.

    D to D#:

    …is the third part.

    D# to E:

    …is the fourth part.

    E to F:

    …is the fifth part.

    F to F#:

    …is the sixth part.

    F# to G:

    …is the seventh part.

    G to G#:

    …is the eighth part.

    G# to A:

    …is the ninth part.

    A to A#:

    …is the tenth part.

    A# to B:

    …is the eleventh part.

    B to C:

    …is the twelfth part.

    In a nutshell, the semitone remains the shortest distance between two notes on the piano and is also known as the half-step.

    Final Words

    I believe that you’ve learned something about the semitone from this lesson. If you have any question, kindly post it on the comment section below.

    Thanks for your time and see you in another lesson.

    Cheers!

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    Chuku Onyemachi

    Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group
    Onyemachi "Onye" Chuku is a Nigerian musicologist, pianist, and author. Inspired by his role model (Jermaine Griggs) who has become his mentor, what he started off as teaching musicians in his Aba-Nigeria neighborhood in April 2005 eventually morphed into an international career that has helped hundreds of thousands of musicians all around the world. Onye lives in Dubai and is currently the Head of Education at HearandPlay Music Group and the music consultant of the Gospel Music Training Center, all in California, USA.

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    2. “How Many Keys Are There On The Keyboard?” Don’t Say Twelve, And Here’s Why
    3. Resolved: The Misconception Of The Terms Note And Key
    4. Who Else Wants To Learn About Symmetrical Scales And Chords?
    5. Exposed: The Eight Components In A Key Every Musician Should Know
    6. Choral Perspectives To The A&B Voicings Of Major Seventh And Minor Seventh Chords
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    Related posts:

    1. Talk To Jermaine Griggs: “How Do I Apply Diminished And Augmented Triads?”
    2. “How Many Keys Are There On The Keyboard?” Don’t Say Twelve, And Here’s Why
    3. Resolved: The Misconception Of The Terms Note And Key
    4. Who Else Wants To Learn About Symmetrical Scales And Chords?
    5. Exposed: The Eight Components In A Key Every Musician Should Know
    6. Choral Perspectives To The A&B Voicings Of Major Seventh And Minor Seventh Chords
    7. Tonal Organization: Notes, Scales, Intervals, Chords, Chord Progressions, Songs



    Tagged as: chromatic semitone, diatonic semitone, half-step, semitone


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