Day 6: Whole & Half Steps
From: 14-Day Pitch And Intonation Course With Camilleby Camille van Niekerk
Description:
Today we’re learning two intervals, and they go by many names! I’ll play them first and then tell you what they’re called.
We call these intervals whole steps and half steps, tones and semitones, or major seconds and minor seconds. They’re all correct, and they all mean the same thing!
We call these intervals whole steps and half steps, tones and semitones, or major seconds and minor seconds. They’re all correct, and they all mean the same thing!
A half step, or semitone, is the smallest interval within Western music. Press any key on the keyboard, and if you play the very next key to the right or to the left, that’s a half step. Go the distance of 2 half-steps, and you have a whole step.
The first line of “Happy birthday” actually contains both intervals! The beginning is a whole step, and the first “to you” is a half step. Try that with me and see if you can feel the difference.
Happy birthday is usually my example song for whole steps, but I like to use the Jaws theme for half steps, since it really brings out the tension you feel when singing or playing a half-step.
Let’s practice singing these intervals, first with whole steps, listen & repeat style!
Exercise - whole step, listen & repeat
Now for the half step, listen & repeat. This interval is smaller than the whole step. Can you feel the difference in your voice?
Exercise - half step, listen & repeat
Most musical scales are just a series of half steps and whole steps. It’s the variety that makes them interesting and easy to sing! To demonstrate, I want to play you 2 scales you might not have heard before. The first is the whole tone scale, which is all whole steps. Kind of odd, right? And the second is the chromatic scale, which is all half-steps. Very easy to lose your place in a scale like that! Compare that to the major scale, which you probably already know, even if you didn’t know what it was called. The major scale follows a set pattern of whole steps and half steps. The half steps in particular do a great job of building tension and pulling us along.
Let’s practice singing part of the full major scale: just the first 5 steps. We’ll walk up and down, like this.
Exercise - 5-tone scale
Tomorrow we’ll expand to the full major scale! But before we go, how about a quiz? I’ll play either a whole step [play] or a half step, and you guess which it is. The question to ask is: does it sound like the beginning of “Happy birthday”, or “Jaws”?
Game: Whole step or half step?
See you in the next lesson!
Lessons:
- Day 1: Principles, Terms & How To Use A Chromatic Tuner
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Day 2:
Higher, Lower & Same
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Day 3:
Unison
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Day 4:
Fifths
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Day 5:
Major Thirds
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Day 6:
Whole & Half Steps
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Day 7:
Major Scale
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Day 8:
Steps & Skips
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Day 9:
Arpeggios
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Day 10:
Tonal Memory Games
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Day 11:
Tonal Memory Songs
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Day 12:
Easy Song
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Day 13:
“Harder” song
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Day 14:
Congrats & What’s Next
Instructor: Camille van Niekerk
Camille van Niekerk is a singer, writer and vocal instructor in Southern California. Camille began studying voice and performing in musicals at age seven. In 2010, Camille began working towards her BA in Music Education at Azusa Pacific University. She then earned her teaching credential from San Diego State University and taught classroom choral and instrumental music. Shortly after moving to LA county, Camille began her private vocal studio, providing vocal coaching, ear training, and recording for students of all ages. She is constantly refining her skills and methods for greater versatility and effectiveness. When she is not teaching, Camille enjoys singing with the L.A. Choral Lab and Ensoma Creative. She lives in San Diego with her husband and loves going to the beach, practicing yoga, reading, and cooking.