When teaching the chapter on “Tones & Semitones”, I always have two rules: This is very important not only to define these terms but to understand how to apply this theory to your musical instrument.
So, let’s start: First it’s the Tone (Τόνος) or Whole Step: The large acoustic distance between two consecutive notes. And one Tone equals two Semitones. Check. A Semitone (Ημιτόνιo) or Half Step is the small acoustic distance between to consecutive notes. However, Semitone are categorized as Natural, Diatonic or Chromatic. We also have Enharmonic (Εναρμόνιες) relationships, which shouldn’t be confused with Unison (Ταυτοφωνία).
Yes, I know, there are many notes, clefs, accidentals and sometimes even double flat etc. Because this is a lot for a beginner to digest, I always turn to Etymology. By explaining the Ancient Greek roots of these words, the definitions stop being abstract and start making perfect sense. When you understand why a word was chosen, the concept “sticks” in your mind.
And of course, when you completely understand, these are not just words, or just theory you’re ready to understand more complex theory like diatonic and chromatic scales or chromatic modulation, or a chromatic movement or enharmonic modulation, chords, scales, intervals and much more!
Diatonic
The first word is Diatonic. The roots of this word is dia (δια), meaning “through” and tonos (τόνος), which is the Tone. So, what diatonic actually means? It literally means “moving through the tones”.
Let’s apply this to apply this etymology to a Diatonic Semitone. You see that, for example, E to F is a Semitone BUT is a Natural Semitone. The F# to G? It’s a Diatonic Semitone. F# is the black key that goes “thought the tone of F to G!
Chromatic
This is a easy one! The root of this definition is the word Chroma (Χρώμα), which means colour.
So, let’s see F to F#. It’s a semitone. What kind of semitone? A Chromatic semitone! We have F natural and F#, where the accidental adds a little “make-up”, a little chroma! It’s like adding a little “shade” to one of the two similar notes.
Enharmonic
Enharmonic is also a compound word. The first syllable is En (Εν), which means “in/within”, plus Harmony (Αρμονία), which means “fitting together / a joint”. So, when two notes, scales, intervals or chords are Enharonic, it means that they are “in harmony” like “fitting perfectly together”!
Let’s look at some examples: G# and Ab. These are two different note names, BUT they produce the exact same pitch. The “fit” into the same “harmony”, the same “harmonic space”!
What about C# Major and Db Major? They have different names and different key signature as well (C# Major has 7 sharps and Db Major has 5 flats), BUT they sound identical. We play the exact same keys!
Your Instrument Speaks Ancient Greek
In conclusion, this post wasn’t just about common words like harmony, orchestra, melody or rhythm. These words carry a deep history. And all these etymologies started just from a single string, a goat-gut string, “χορδή”/ “cord”. When Aristotle and Pythagoras explored the tension of a vibrating string, it wasn’t just sounds. But the words have their history. For example melody comes from melos (μέλος) a tune or a limb(!), and ode (ωδή), meaning a song {melodrama}. These terms which are commonly used in music theory, and once you understand, why we use them, it becomes much easier to apply them in your playing!