Basic Music Theory: Whole Step & Half Step + Sharps & Flats
If you just got your first guitar and would like to better understand the instrument in an easy way, this lesson is for YOU!
Today we will explore a basic concept that will help beginners to see how easy, fun and helpful music theory can be.
Let’s start with simple definitions:
Whole Step = two frets on your guitar (w)
Half Step = one fret on your guitar (h)
Now in music, it does not matter if you are playing guitar, bass, piano, ukulele… We will always have the following relationship among notes:
C w D w E h F w G w A w B h C
Therefore we will have the following notes display on the fretboard:
Now how about in between the whole steps? Well, in between those whole steps we will have the SHARPS and FLATS.
Flat – lowers any note by half step (symbol = b)
Sharp – raises any note by half step (symbol = #)
Notes on Your Guitar with Sharps:
Notes on Your Guitar with Flats:
Now we can apply the same idea to a piano:
The first white note will be the C, second the D, third the E, fourth the F, fifth the G, sixth the A, seventh the B, then back to C again and so on…and the black keys are the sharps and flats. Notice that we wont have a black key between E to F and B to C (half steps).
It is very cool to understand these simple concepts in order to know where the notes are. Now you can get songs you play on the guitar and transport them to the piano!
Hope you guys have enjoyed this lesson!