Half Steps and Whole Steps on guitar

A HALF-STEP is the distance from any note to the very next note.

A WHOLE-STEP is two half-steps put together. On a guitar, each fret is a half-step apart. On a piano, each key, whether white or black, is a half-step apart from the next key. Even though some white keys on a piano are next to each other, often they will have a black key in between them. The distance from the first white key to the in between black key is a half-step. From a white key to another white key, with a black key in between, is a whole step.

The only naturally occurring half-steps are between E to F and B to C.Naturally occurring means that without using sharps or flats the intervals of E to F and B to C are the only adjacent pairs that are half-steps. Between these two intervals there is only a half-step difference. All of the other pairs of adjacent notes, without sharps or flats involved, are whole steps.On our keyboard there are no black keys between E – F and B – C. On a guitar, each of these two pairs of notes are side by side with no note in between them.