Half Steps and Whole Steps

The first intervals we will talk about are whole steps and half steps.  A HALF STEP is the smallest interval available in our musical world.  In the chromatic scale, a half step is simply one note in either direction.   In other words, each note in the chromatic scale is one half step apart. 

Whole Steps are where things get interesting.  A whole step is SKIPPING OVER a note in the alphabet, creating space.  It’s a small leap, but it creates a VERY different sound.

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On the guitar, a HALF STEP is moving one fret in either direction (on a single string), while a WHOLE STEP is moving TWO frets in either direction (on a single string).

Using a combination of Half Steps and Whole Steps, we can create musical Scales, and we’ll start with the MAJOR SCALE!