Explaining Musical Intervals – Whole Steps and Half Steps

Welcome to the first in my multi part series on music theory. Today we will be covering intervals, specifically half-steps and whole-step. Many people consider music theory to be a complex subject – and while it can be – it is built upon simple principles. Much like mathematics, if you understand the foundational principles, you can build your knowledge from there. In explaining the simple fundamentals of music theory, it will make it much easier in the future to grasp the more complex subjects.

Intervals are simply the distance between notes (or more accurately, the distance between tones). The piano is a wonderful tool for demonstrating theory because it’s a very visual instrument; all the keys and notes are simply laid out right in front of you!

Let’s start with half steps, what are they? Simply put:

A half step is two keys together with no keys between.

If you look at a keyboard, any two keys that are together – with no keys between – is a half step. Now it’s important to remember that when it comes to intervals, you must consider the black keys. So, half-steps can contain both black and white keys. Look at the keys close to the fallboard so you are aware of the black keys.

A whole step is essentially 2 half-steps, or more simply:

A whole-step is two keys together with one key between.

So you could have a whole step that is two white keys with a black key between them, a pair of black keys with a white key separating them, or even a black and white key with a key between them. As long as there is one key between the notes, you will always have a whole step.

But why is this important? Virtually all Western music is based upon these essential building blocks. More than that, all major scales are simply a series of half-steps and whole-steps – which we will cover in a future video.

Thanks again for joining me Robert Estrin Robert@LivingPianos.com (949) 244-3729