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Semitones vs Whole Tones
Builds on Accidentals & Enharmonic Equivalence
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A semitone (half step) is the smallest interval in Western music — the distance between any key and the very next one, black or white. A whole tone (whole step) is two semitones stacked together.
Every major scale is built from a specific pattern of whole and half steps: W-W-H-W-W-W-H. Recognizing that pattern by ear is the first step toward recognizing scales and modes.
⚠️ Common mistake
Beginners often confuse the visual gap between two white keys (like E-F) with an actual whole tone — but E to F is only a semitone since there's no black key between them.
📝 Summary
Semitone = smallest step. Whole tone = two semitones. Not every adjacent white key pair is a whole tone — check for a black key between them.
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