BEGINNER SERIES - Half And Whole Step-In Piano

Half step And Whole Step-In Piano

Half Step
In Western music, the smallest interval used is the half-step.
A half step means to move one note upward or one note downward

According to the Harvard Dictionary Of Music a half step (or semitone) is

"One-half of a whole tone, the smallest interval in traditional Western music. ... The octave consists of twelve semitones and the diatonic scale includes two semitones."
 (The major scale and the natural minor are diatonic scales.)

Let us take an example of piano keys.
Locate Middle C, the next key to the right of that will be a black key (C# or Db), that's a half step.
Let's say you are on E, move one key up or one key to the right, that key will be F.
In the same manner, if you are on Middle C, the next key to the left of that will be a white key (B or Cb), that's a half step.
If you're on E and you move one key down or one key to the left, that key will be Eb or D#.