Editing Semitone (section)

===Meantone temperament===

In [[meantone temperament|meantone]] systems, there are two different semitones. This results because of the break in the [[circle of fifths]] that occurs in the tuning system: diatonic semitones derive from a chain of five fifths that does not cross the break, and chromatic semitones come from one that does.

The chromatic semitone is usually smaller than the diatonic. In the common [[quarter-comma meantone]], tuned as a cycle of [[Musical temperament|tempered]] [[Perfect fifth|fifths]] from E{{music|flat}} to G{{music|sharp}}, the chromatic and diatonic semitones are 76.0 and 117.1 cents wide respectively.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" align="center"
| bgcolor="#ffeeee" | '''Chromatic semitone'''
|
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffeeee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffeeee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffeeee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffeeee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#ffeeee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" |
|-
| bgcolor="#fffbee" | '''Pitch'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | C
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | C{{music|sharp}}
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | D
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | E{{music|flat}}
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | E
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | F
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | F{{music|sharp}}
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | G
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | G{{music|sharp}}
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | A
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | B{{music|flat}}
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | B
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | C
|-
| bgcolor="#fffbee" | '''Cents'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>0.0</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>76.0</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>193.2</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>310.3</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>386.3</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>503.4</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>579.5</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>696.6</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>772.6</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>889.7</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>1006.8</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>1082.9</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#fffbee" | <small>1200.0</small>
|- <!--- this row inserted to avoid bug in Chrome causing misalignment of columns -->
| || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || || ||
|-
| bgcolor="#eeeeff" | '''Diatonic semitone'''
| colspan="3" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="2" bgcolor="#eeeeff" | <small>117.1</small>
|
|}

Extended meantone temperaments with more than 12 notes still retain the same two semitone sizes, but there is more flexibility for the musician about whether to use an augmented unison or minor second. [[31-TET|31-tone equal temperament]] is the most flexible of these, which makes an unbroken circle of 31 fifths, allowing the choice of semitone to be made for any pitch.