Episode 2: Sharps and Flats

Hello, and welcome back to my blog! The first thing we need to discuss is intervals. An Interval is the distance between two notes. In most cases on a piano, the space between any two white keys or between any two black keys is considered a whole step. Let's take this piano for instance...

Look to the left and you see there is a black key between each white key EXCEPT between B-C and E-F. Those spaces between white keys with a black key in between them are called Whole Steps. The spaces in which there isn't a key in between them, for example B-C or E-F are called Half Steps.

Now, you may be wondering what are the black keys are called. They are called Accidentals. They are listed as a Sharp (#) or Flat (b). If you need to, you can also make the note a Natural but we will discuss that later. All white keys are considered naturals, for example the C's are read as "C Natural", but when you hit the key between C and D, you have a C sharp (C#) and enharmonically a D flat (Db). Enharmonics are notes that are read in different ways. A good way to practice that is going up the octave (from left to right) make everything sharp (C, C#, D, D#, E, etc.) until you get to the next C. Then go back down and say everything with flats (C, B, Bb, A, Ab, G, etc.)