Semitones and whole tones

Measure the distance between neighbouring piano keys in semitones and whole tones.

White keys and black keys

Piano keys follow one another, black ones among the white. The black keys come in groups of two and three, which makes any note easy to find: C is always just left of a group of two black keys, F just left of a group of three.

Neighbouring keys, white or black, sound right next to each other, with no note in between.

From C4 to E4: five keys in a row, white and black

Find notes by the groups of black keys rather than by counting white keys from the edge: it is quicker and you won't miscount.

Practice: Semitones on the white keys

The semitone

A semitone is the smallest distance between two notes: from any key to the very next one, black or white.

There is no black key between the white keys E and F, nor between B and C. So these pairs are a semitone apart.

Two pairs of white keys with no black key between them: E–F and B–C

A semitone: E4 and F4 one after the other, then together

Practice: From E to F

Practice: Semitone or whole tone, by ear

The whole tone

A whole tone is two semitones: there is exactly one key between the two keys. From C to D is a whole tone, with a black key between them.

From C4 to D4: a whole tone

A whole tone: C4 and D4 one after the other, then together

Walk the white keys from C to the next C: tone, tone, semitone, tone, tone, tone, semitone. You will meet this pattern again when we build the major scale.