Puolisävelaskeliin

Puolisävelaskeliin, often translated as semitones or half steps, refers to the smallest interval in Western music. It is the distance between two adjacent keys on a piano, whether they are white to black or black to white. In a musical scale, a semitone represents the fundamental unit of pitch difference. For example, the interval between C and C# (or Db) is a semitone, as is the interval between E and F, or B and C.

The concept of semitones is crucial for understanding musical harmony, melody, and tuning systems. Scales are constructed using specific patterns of whole steps (two semitones) and semitones. For instance, the major scale follows a pattern of whole-whole-half-whole-whole-whole-half. Similarly, the chromatic scale consists entirely of consecutive semitones, encompassing all twelve pitches within an octave.

In music theory, semitones are often notated using sharps (#) to raise a note by a semitone or flats (b) to lower a note by a semitone. Enharmonic equivalents, such as C# and Db, represent the same pitch but are written differently, highlighting the importance of context in musical notation. The precise tuning of semitones can vary slightly depending on the tuning system used, such as equal temperament, where all semitones are precisely equal in frequency ratio, or historical tuning systems. Understanding semitones is foundational for any musician learning to read music, play an instrument, or compose.

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