Tones And Semitones

Music Theory Notes, Sharps & Flats & Octaves!
1

Understand tones and semitones and how they translate on the guitar neck!


View the full lesson at Tones And Semitones | JustinGuitar

2

these are lessons which remind me how glad i am i played piano for like half a year lol. but great lesson as always! youre helping so many people with your lessons; thank you!

2 Likes
3

Thanks for the good feedback @mnemo and welcome to the Community.
Cheers :smiley:
| Richard_close2u | JustinGuitar Official Guide, Approved Teacher & Moderator

1 Like
7

As an American it was difficult to switch my vocabulary to using Tone and Semitone. I started using this memory trick for guitar that’s been quite useful: a TONE is TWO frets, and a SEMITONE is a SINGLE fret.

Not sure if it’s the best memory trick out there, but sharing in case someone else finds it useful!

2 Likes
8

Agree with you @ryansmith​0518 and I am Birtish ! I am not familiar with your ‘memory aid’ but whatever works for you.

I think Justin has “muddied the water” by dismissing the US system and “reinventing the wheel” with another definition of Steps.

Personally, I find it easy to understand visually the Steps/ Half-steps , the Tones/ Semi-tones, and Sharps/Flats simply looking at the 12 notes from Middle C to the first Octave C above it (eg. C to C).

There is a Tone or Whole Step each time you pass by a Black Note while moving up through the White Notes.

The EF and BC are also obvious having no Black Notes in between; therefore they are Half Steps or Semi Tones.

The clock-face is a circular representation of the linear piano scale; and it might make it a more ‘visual tool’ for some people.

Does any of this matter ? Not really; whatever works for the individual to help them remember the construct of a Major Scale.

1 Like
9

** C to C on the piano , that is

1 Like
10

While I completely understand the translation of the American system (half step/whole step) and this version(semi-tone/tone), it seems like it’s semantics more than anything to me. 100% of people in the US will understand telling them to move a whole step up, not nearly as many would understand moving a tone up off the get go. Makes more sense to use whatever is most popular where you play.

1 Like
11

In regard to not using whole step / half step … there is a part of music terminology where step means something else.
In melody, the movement of a step (which could be ascending or descending) means a move to the immediately adjacent scale note. Depending on where in the scale the melody note is, that could be a move of a semitone or a tone. Because scale degrees are spaced at tone and semitone intervals.

12

Americans make up less than 5% of the worlds population.

I believe that is what Justin is doing. After all he is from Tasmania and lives in the UK.

4 Likes
13

And how many speak English as their first language? Maybe about 14% of that 5% use El Tono and El Semitono? :thinking:

2 Likes
14

Whole whole half…. Works for me :crazy_face:

1 Like
15

I think as long as the message you want to convey is not ambiguous, either term is fine. This Wikipedia article uses both and it’s easy to see the difference between the meanings:

16

That wiki article doesn’t mention jumps.
Leap and jump are close or exact synonyms in most other contexts.
I can’t remember where I first encountered that term. Or did I make it up?

17

Yesterday… :smile:

I haven’t read it all here so maybe this doesn’t apply here :blush:

18

Yesterday’s opening melody notes are a scale degree stepping down to a chord tone.
Yes - ter - day…
G → F → F
Over an F major chord.

1 Like
19

Having not learned piano as my first instrument. . the American “half step” thing always left me a bit confused about how the scales work in music theory. This video just cleared up a lifetime of confusion. Thanks! I do prefer talking in tones and semi-tones.

1 Like
20

I think which nomenclature you prefer really just depends on what you learned first.

Personally, I think they are both inherently confusing.

There are 12 semitones/half steps in a chromatic scale… Why are we talking in terms of halves and wholes? Wouldn’t it make more sense to call each semitone a step and then explain to students that diatonic scales are a mix of one and two step intervals? I think that would be a lot more obvious to most beginners.

So, going forward I expect you all to use my preferred terms. Problem solved… You’re welcome!

:smile::smile::smile:

2 Likes
21

Music theory wasn’t written for beginners to understand it was written by music teachers to keep you confused so you keep paying for lessons. :wink:

2 Likes
22

I get where you’re coming from, but I think the point is precisely that not any and all 100 cent (i.e. semitone) differences in pitch constitute a “step” in a given scale. For example, in C major D# to E is not a step as such since D# is not a scale tone; similarly, in C major D to E is not a “two-step interval” but one step, a major second.

So yes, this part of terminology needs some getting used to by beginners, but it’s still the most transparent way to describe intervals and scale steps.

1 Like
23

This course is already blowing my mind and I’m only on the first lesson. My childhood musical lessons, which I am eternally grateful for, was based on memorizing songs and techniques. I can’t wait to learn more.

3 Likes