Tone

Tone, in music, sound that has a definite pitch, as distinct from noise, which is sound that lacks identifiable pitch. In addition to pitch, any given tone is characterized by duration, or length; intensity, or loudness; timbre, or color; and envelope, a characteristic pattern of onset and decay. The term tone also designates the interval of a major second, that is, a whole tone, or whole step, in contradistinction to a semitone, or half step, the interval of a minor second.