Measuring Distance Between Notes as Intervals

Hey, I'm Melody! Today we're going to measure distance — but not with rulers. We're measuring distance between musical pitches. A **pitch** is a specific musical note, like C or G. When you play two pitches, the distance between them is called an **interval**. Knowing intervals is like having a map of music — you can describe exactly how far apart any two notes are. The smallest interval in Western music is the **half step** (also called a minor 2nd or semitone). On a piano, a half step is the distance from any key to the very next key — including black keys. From C to C# is one half step. From E to F is also one half step, because there is no black key between them. A **whole step** equals exactly 2 half steps. From C to D is a whole step — you skip over C# in between. Here are the intervals you will use most, measured in half steps: | Interval name | Half steps | Sound quality | |---|---|---| | Unison | 0 | Perfectly stable and settled — same pitch twice | | Half step (minor 2nd) | 1 | Very tense — the two pitches clash strongly | | Whole step (major 2nd) | 2 | Mildly tense, slightly bright | | Minor 3rd | 3 | Darker and sadder in color | | Major 3rd | 4 | Bright and cheerful | | Perfect 5th | 7 | Strong and stable, like a power chord | | Octave | 12 | Completely settled — same note name, higher or lower | The words **stable** and **tense** describe how the interval feels to a listener. Stable intervals (unison, perfect 5th, octave) feel settled and at rest. Tense intervals (half step, whole step) feel like they want to move somewhere else. **Dissonant** is another word for tense — the pitches clash. **Consonant** is another word for stable — the pitches blend smoothly. **Hint:** When counting half steps, start on the lower note and count every key move (white and black) up to the higher note. The starting note counts as zero — you count each step, not the notes themselves.