Definition
Plain language
The smallest step between two notes on a piano — roughly a six percent change in pitch.
As stated in the literature
A logarithmic pitch interval equal to a factor of 2^(1/12) (~5.95%) in fundamental frequency; useful for judging whether an F0 manipulation is perceptually small relative to natural inter-speaker variation.
Also called: semitones
Why it matters: It provides a perceptually meaningful yardstick, so a pitch change can be judged as trivial or dramatic rather than just reported as a raw number.
For example, raising a speaker's voice by one semitone is a change most listeners would barely notice, since ordinary voices vary far more than that from person to person.
Heard on the show
“It’s about a semitone and a half.”Episode 262 — Raise the Pitch Nine Percent and the Model Cries Sarcasm