So what does a half step mean or what a semitone mean? Semitones and half steps are the same exact thing. We have this note A, this A right here is the same exact note as this A right here. This A is the same as this A, so if I were to go up a half step it would go A, A#, B, C, C#, D so here we have A, A# and then B. Now to bring it to another term and answer to the question of what a half step mean? The next question development is what does a whole step mean, so I can do a whole step, start here and from this A, a whole step from this A is going to be a B, a B natural. Just so that you guys know there are two types of notes or there are two types of steps, whole steps and then half steps.
Now, there is another term and I do not want you students to get too confused about everything but there is in a piece of music called leap and steps. Leaps and then steps, now think of it just logically in your head that the distance of when you leap is going to further than when you step right. A leap is when you have more, is when you jump a fourth or more, so leap is a big distance between two notes, a step is a little distance, so I was on this note right here this D a step up or down in either direction. It is either going to go up to an E or down a C. Now are there any questions before I continue, we are learning today all about half steps, semitones, whole tones and all that jazz. We could take this further though and look at this sharp right here, I have a B, there is half of a C, C#, B so there we have a whole step which is two half steps. The B goes a whole step to the C#, so everyone got that?
There is only 12 notes in music and the 12 notes we know are A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G# and it goes back to A. So also right here, everyone of this notes, A, A#, B, C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A everyone of those notes is a half step because it is half step the note half step. Now think of this mathematically guys is that the distance, is that if I have a half plus half the answer is a whole, so if A to A# is a half step and A# to B is a half step then A to B is a whole step.
So, the distance from A to A#, half step. These are all half step.
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