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Quick Guide To Half Steps And Whole Steps In Music

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Half steps and whole steps

Half Steps And Whole Steps

The half steps and whole steps are the terminologies in music theory that help us to define the distance in pitch between two consecutive notes.

In simple terms, the steps are the degree of distance between the pitch of two musical notes. This aspect of music is known as an interval in Western music.

The whole and half steps are very useful in understanding other aspects of music. In fact, in order to build a musical scale or chord, we need a proper understanding of an interval.

Although we have several intervals in music in which half steps and whole steps are just part of them. But the basic intervals are those of half steps and whole steps.

The principles of the interval as related to the whole and half steps are well established on every keyboard instrument like piano or organ.

For that reason, we will use the piano keyboard as a visual reference to explain the whole and half steps better in this post.

Basically, this post will guide us through what the half steps and whole steps are in music and also point out their differences.  

What is a Half step (or Semitone)?

Half Steps And Whole Steps In Music

The half step is the smallest distance between two consecutive notes in music. This is also referred to as the smallest interval between two adjacent notes.

Another name for half-step in music is a semitone, halftone, or minor second.

The half step is well established on a piano keyboard. As we can see from the diagram above, the distance between note E and note F is known as a half step.

We can see that the key for note E is directly followed by the key for note F. The two-note are adjacent on the piano keyboard without any note between them.

The same thing happened between keys for notes B and C. That means note E is a half-step below note F and note C is a half-step above note B.

The condition above used only white keys on the piano keyboard. If we consider the black and white keys as we have in the chromatic scale, we will have a half step between note C and C-sharp/D-flat.

This is because the C and C-sharp/D-flat are two adjacent notes on the keyboard.

In the same way, there is a half step between note C-sharp/D-flat and D and also a half step between note F and F-sharp/G-flat.

Semitone Below Or Above A Note

Note that we can have a half step or semitone below or above a note. A half step above a note is the note on the keyboard that follows the note immediately on the right side.

On the other hand, a half step below a note is the note on the keyboard that precedes the note immediately on the left side.

To go half step from one note to another note, we just need to go to the note that directly follows or precedes the note.

For example, to go half step above note A, we will go directly to the key that follows note A which is A-sharp or B-flat.

What Is The Whole Step (or Tone)?

The Whole step is what we get when we have two half steps. That means a distance between the first and the third of three consecutive notes that are adjacent to one another.  

Other names for the whole step in music are tone, full tone, or major second.

Using a piano keyboard as our reference, there is a whole step between notes C and D as shown above. This is because we have two half steps between the two notes.

The first step is between note C and C-sharp/D-flat. And the second half step is between note C-sharp/D-flat and D.

Dealing with white keys alone on the piano keyboard, whole steps exist between all the white keys except between keys E and F and key B and C.  

Note that keys E and F are adjacent to each other as well as keys B and C. The distance from the key for note E to F and note B to C is a half-step and not a whole step because no other notes exist between them.

So every two white keys that have a black key in between are a whole step apart. This is what we have in key C and D, Key D and E, key F and G, key G and A, and key A and B.

Again, pairs of black keys with a white key between them are also a whole step apart. This is what we have in key C-sharp and D-sharp, key F-sharp and G-sharp, and key G-sharp and A-sharp.

Tone Below Or Above A Note

Note that we can have a whole step or tone below or above a note. A whole step above a note is the two adjacent notes on the keyboard that follow the note immediately on the right side.

On the other hand, a whole step below a note is the two neighboring notes on the keyboard that precedes the note immediately on the left side.

To go a whole step above a note, we just have to go to the second of the two notes that directly follow the note.

For example, to go a whole step above note G, go directly to the second key that directly follows note G.

The key can be either white or black and in this case, we have the key for note A. So, note A key is a whole step above note G.

Another example, to go a whole step below note C, go directly to the second key that directly preceded note C. In this case, we will go to the key for note A-sharp or B flat that is after the key for B.

So, the key for note A-sharp or B flat is a whole step below the key of note C.

Half Steps and Whole Steps Worksheet

The half steps and whole steps worksheet is provided to test your knowledge about half steps and whole steps.

Just click the link below to access the pdf file.

The file is printable. So, feel free to print it out for your use.

Final Thought

You might have heard the terms half steps and whole steps before and might not have an understanding of what they mean.

With this article, we believe you would have a clear understanding of what the two terms: “whole step” and “half step” mean in music.

Nevertheless, you may have one or two questions related to the half steps and whole steps, please don’t hesitate to ask us any question related to the topic discussed.

The comment section below is available for your feedback and questions.

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