Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals – OPEN MUSIC THEORY (2024)

In the last chapter, The Keyboard and the Grand Staff, we discussed the letter names of the white keys on the piano keyboard and noted that the black keys are grouped into alternating sets of two or three. Before we discuss the names of the black keys, however, we must first learn about half steps and whole steps.

A half step is considered to be the smallest interval, or distance between two notes, in Western musical notation. Example 1 shows a piano keyboard with the letter names of the white-key pitches and some half steps labeled. On the piano keyboard (see Example 1), for most of the white-key notes, a half step above that note will be the black key to its upper right, while a half step below it will be the black key to its upper left. For example, the black key to the upper right of G is “in between” the notes G and A; one would say that this black key is a half step above G and a half step below A.Two pairs of white keys—E/F and B/C—do not have black keys in between them (see Example 1). This is because E–F and B–C are both half steps. Havingthe black keys grouped into sets of either two or three makes it easier for a keyboardist to see and feel them more quickly.

A whole step is the equivalent of two half steps. Example 2 shows a piano keyboard with the letter names of the white key pitches labeled,and some whole steps bracketed. Pairs of white keys with a black key in between them (A and B, C and D, D and E, F and G, and G and A) are a whole step apart. To find a whole step above the notes E or B, simply count two keys to the right: a whole step above E is the black key to the right of the note F, while a whole step above B is the black key to the right of the note C. Likewise, count two keys to the left to find a whole step below the notes C or F: the black keys to the left of the notes B and E, respectively. To find a whole step from a black key you will want to count two keys to the right or left. For example, a whole step above the black key to the right of C is the black key to the right of the note D. A whole step below the black key to the left of B is the black key to the left of the note A.

What do half steps and whole steps sound like? The short video shown in Example 3demonstrates:

Example 3. Dr. Chelsey Hamm (Christopher Newport University) demonstrates the sound of a half step and a whole step.

You can practice identifying half and whole steps by dragging and dropping in the following exercise:

Anaccidental changes the pitch of a note. Asharp (♯) looks like a tilted hashtag, and it raises a note by a half step. Aflat (♭) looks like a slanted lowercase “b,” and it lowers a note by a half step. Anatural (♮) looks like a tilted box with a line sticking out of the top left and bottom right corners, and it cancels a previous accidental such as a sharp or flat. Sharps, flats, and naturals are the three most common accidentals.

A double sharp (or 𝄪) raises a note by two half steps (i.e., a whole step). A double flat (𝄫) lowers a note by two half steps (i.e., a whole step). Accidentals are always written to the left of a note, regardless of stem direction. An accidental should be written directly across the line or space on which a note appears.

Example 4 shows both correct and incorrect ways to notate sharps, flats, and naturals:

Example 5 shows a piano keyboard with the letter names of the black keys labeled. Black keys that are a half step above a white key take the name of the white key and add the word “sharp.” For example, the black key to the right of the note C is called “C-sharp” and is written as C♯. Black keys that are a half step below a white key take the name of the white key and add the word “flat.” For example, the black key to the left of the note D is called “D-flat” and is written as D♭.

F is also known as E♯, and E is also known as F♭. C is also known as B♯, and B is also known as C♭. Example 6also shows some of the double-sharp and double-flat accidentals.A double sharp is two half steps above a note. For example, D𝄪 is also E; E𝄪 is also F♯ (or G♭). A double flat is two half steps below a note. For example, A𝄫 is also G; C𝄫 is also B♭ or A♯.

You will have noticed by now that each key on the piano keyboard has more than one name. Notes have enharmonic equivalence when they are spelled differently but sound the same. For example, you can see that C♯ and D♭ are enharmonically equivalent, as seen in Examples 5 and 6. Example 6also shows that the note D is enharmonically equivalent with the notes C𝄪 and E𝄫. In other words, playing a D, C𝄪, or E𝄫 will resultin the same pitch.

You can practice identifying half and whole steps by dragging and dropping in the following exercise:

Online Resources

• Tutorial on Half and Whole Steps (Music Theory Fundamentals)
• Tutorial on Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals (musictheory.net)
• Game to Practice Half Steps, Whole Steps, and Accidentals (drawmusic.com)
• Tutorial on Accidentals (mymusictheory.com)
• Tutorial on the Black Keys on the Piano (musicradar.com)
• Practicing the Piano Keyboard (musictheory.net)
• Matching Game for Piano Key Notes (quizlet.com)
• Labeling Game for Piano Key Notes (quizlet.com)
• Tutorial on Enharmonic Equivalence (The Music Notation Project)

Assignments on the Internet

1. Half and Whole Steps on the Piano Keyboard and in Staff Notation (.pdf)
2. Half and Whole Steps in Staff Notation (.pdf)
3. Writing and Identifying Notes with Accidentals, p. 1 (.pdf), pp. 9–11 (.pdf)
4. Keyboard to Staff Notation Matching (.pdf)
5. Enharmonic Equivalence, p. 3 (.pdf), (.pdf)

Assignments

1. Black Keys on the Piano (.pdf, .docx)
2. Half and Whole Steps on the Piano Keyboard (.pdf, .docx)
3. Writing Accidentals (.pdf, .docx)
4. Writing and Identifying Accidentals (.pdf, .docx)
5. Half and Whole Steps in Staff Notation (.pdf, .docx)
6. Enharmonic Equivalence (.pdf, .docx)