MusicianCV · TRHalf steps and whole steps
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Spelling and transposition
On an equal-tempered piano, adjacent keys are a semitone apart. Two semitones make a whole step. Count black keys as well as white keys.
E–F and B–C are semitone neighbours; C–D spans a whole step. Transposing every note by the same number of semitones preserves the melody’s internal pitch distances.
Example
D → D♯ → E: two semitones, or one whole step.
Half steps and whole stepsC → D / E → F
Try it
How many semitones separate F and G?
Answer
Two: F–F♯–G.Related topics
One key, different spellings · Sharps, flats and naturalsReferences
Music Theory for the 21st-Century Classroom
Subject-expert review pending.