Intervals I (Whole Steps and Half Steps)

The space between two pitches is called an interval. In the previous chapter, we talked about the octave. The octave is the interval between two pitches of the same pitch class.

By the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods, European composers began to divide the octave into seven smaller intervals called steps. Steps come in two sizes, one twice as large as the other: a half step (or semitone) and a whole step (or whole tone). It’s easy to think of half and whole steps by visualizing a piano. Half steps occur between piano keys that are right next to each other; whole steps occur between piano keys that are separated by another key.