depends what you mean by 'semitones'. for instance, much of the worlds traditional music is based on pentatonic scales which have notes which are near (but not

depends what you mean by 'semitones'. for instance, much of the worlds traditional music is based on pentatonic scales which have notes which are near (but not exactly on) the semitones of an equal tempered scale. generally the differences to the corresponding chromatic notes provide more consonance, not dissonance. 'microtones' is a funny word because it covers both consonant and dissonant sounds. there's some inherited cultural background to what is perceived as consonant too. a sitar may sound odd to us, and is 'microtonal' but that doesn't mean it is not musically consonant (notes are related in simple fractions)