Half & Whole Steps & Stepwise Motion

Half & Whole Steps & Stepwise Motion

High School Music Theory

Lesson Overview

Learners Can:

• identify half and whole steps

• label half and whole steps

• determine half steps on the piano keys

• determine whole steps on the piano keys

• define stepwise motion

• compose using stepwise motion

• relate half and whole steps to major and minor seconds

Vocabulary

half step, whole step, major second, minor second, stepwise motion, interval, interval quality, interval distance

Half Steps

• A half step is the interval between two pitches that are directly next to one another.
• The smallest interval in the study of Western music theory.
• Also sometimes referred to as a semitone

• If you play every key of the piano from left to right, including all black and all white keys, you would be playing continuous half steps

• C♯ and D♭ are enharmonic pitches - an enharmonic is a written musical item that has more than one name or notation.

• When a sharp is used, the sharp note is a half step higher than the original pitch

• When a flat is used, the flat note is a half step lower than the original pitch.

circle or mark the examples with half steps

Whole Steps

• Another small interval is a whole step

• An interval made of two half steps

• Half steps and whole steps work together to create different step patterns that make up a step-wise, eight-note scale collection.

• Half and whole steps are used in stepwise motion

circle or mark the examples with whole steps

Labeling Whole and Half Steps

• A caret is used to label a half step between two notes.

• Start the caret at the first note and connect to the second.

• Add an “H” label to show this is a half step

• For a whole step, use a bracket.

• Start the bracket on the first note and then connect to the next note.

• Add a “W” label to show this is a whole step

• Labeling whole and half steps will be incredibly important when looking at the step pattern in major and minor scales.

Label the half and whole steps with carets and brackets

Major & Minor Seconds

• An interval is the distance between two notes.

• Intervals have both a quality and distance which are determined by the number of half steps within the interval.

• half steps and whole steps can also be referred to as intervals

• As an interval, a half step is considered a minor second.

• A whole step is regarded as a major second.

• Intervals are a more specific way to identify the type of movement between two notes.

Stepwise Motion

• Stepwise motion is movement of half and whole steps between pitches

• This means conjunct motion moves by major or minor seconds.

• Movement between adjacent notes is stepwise motion.

What is the interval name for a half step?

What is the interval name for a whole step?

• Stepwise motion occurs when notes are placed on adjacent lines or spaces.

• Notes that move this way are moving by half/whole steps.

• The movement between two notes by a half or whole step can also be referred to as a major second or minor second.

Complete the phrase using stepwise motion

Match the audio to the type of step played

Whole Steps

Half Steps

Audio 2

Audio 3

Audio 1

Audio 4

Which is the missing note to create stepwise motion?

Arrange the following pitches so that the melody they create is in stepwise motion. -> D B A C

Summary

In today's lesson, you:

• identified half and whole steps

• labeled half and whole steps

• determined half steps on the piano keys

• determined whole steps on the piano keys

• defined stepwise motion

• composed using stepwise motion

• related half and whole steps to major and minor seconds