Tones and semitones (Whole steps and half steps)
A common and very useful way of naming small intervals is by the terms
tones and
semitones, often abbreviated as
T &
S when used in diagrams. In North America, these are more commonly known as
whole steps and
half steps, respectively, and often abbreviated as
W &
H.
A
tone, or
whole step is the difference in pitch that you hear when two notes are separated by
two frets.
A
semitone, or
half step (as you would expect) is the pitch difference you hear when the notes are just
one fret apart.
Examples
Play
string 3 open. The note is
G.
Play
string 3 at fret 1. The note is
G sharp (G#) (or
A flat (Ab)).
The interval between
G &
G# (or
Ab) is
ONE SEMITONE (one half step).
Play
string 4 open. The note is
D.
Play
string 4 at fret 2. The note is
E.
The interval between
D &
E is
ONE TONE (one whole step) or TWO SEMITONES (two half steps).
In part 3 we'll look at a more systematic way of naming ALL intervals by using numbers and qualifying terms, such as
Major thirds and minor sixths, etc.