Finding Half Steps in Key Signatures

Finding Half Steps
in Key Signatures
A guide for finger placement
Created by John Marttila
Key prior knowledge for review
Students, use the links below if you need to refresh
your memory about these important concepts...
● What are half steps and whole steps?

● How do sharps and flats change notes?
● What are intervals between notes?
● Why do we use key signatures?
This presentation is available on ParenVue and StudentVue for you to study.
There are 4 sections that follow
Watch each video, use the practice slides and try to
answer the questions for each section.
1. How half steps create “ground” notes

2. Finding half steps without sharps or flats
3. Finding half steps with sharps
4. Finding half steps with flats
Here are some questions to think about...
● What does the key signature tell us?
● How many half steps are represented by each key
signature?
● What are the “ground” notes with no sharps or flats?
● How many whole steps are in the smaller and larger
groups of whole steps?
● Which group of whole steps are the “ground” notes
around?
Click the play button on the next slide to watch the video...
Click here to
stop the
video and
move to the
next slide
Let’s see if we can answer these questions...
signature?
around?
Check your answers on the next slides...
○ The key signature tells us where the half and whole

steps are located.
Click the slide for the answer and then click again to go to the next question...

signature?
○ There are two half steps represented in each key

signature.
○ The “ground” notes are C and E with no sharps or

flats.

○ There are 2 whole steps in the smaller group and

3 whole steps in the larger group.
(Great job if you noticed this since it wasn’t explicitly in the video*! Now try to remember this answer.)
*The Whole & Half step pattern of EVERY key signature: WWHWWWHWWHWWWHWWHWWWH
2 H 3 H

around?
○ The “ground” notes are the outside notes of the

smaller group of whole steps.
Click the slide for the answer and then click again to go to the next section...
● What is the distance between most notes on a string?

● How many pairs of notes are a half step apart?
● What key signature are the song lyrics about?
(Yes, there will be a song!)
● What is the saying to remember the half steps when
there are no sharps or flats?
Click here to
stop the
video and
move to the
next slide

● What key signature were the song lyrics about?

○ Most notes are a whole step apart.
○ Two pairs of notes are a half step apart.
● What key signature were the song lyrics about?
○ The key signature that has no sharps and no flats.

(all of the notes are natural)

○ Baby Cats Eat Fish
● What is the order for adding sharps to a key signature?

● What is a common saying for the order of sharps?
● What is the distance (interval) between sharps?
● Which note changes when there is only 1 sharp?
● What half and whole steps change with only 1 sharp?
● How can you find half step pairs when there are 2 or
more sharps in the key signature?
Click here to
stop the
video and
move to the
next slide

○ F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#
○ Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds
○ Every sharp is a 5th above the previous sharp.
○ F becomes F# when there is only 1 sharp.
○ F# connects to G to make a new half step.

○ E and F# create a new whole step.
○ (B and C still remain as a half step)
○ The last two sharps connect to the notes above

them to create the half step pairs.
● What is the order for adding flats to a key signature?

● How does the order of flats compare to the sharps?
● What is the distance (interval) between flats?
● Which note changes when there is only 1 flat?
● What half and whole steps change with only 1 flat?
more flats in the key signature?
Click here to
stop the
video and
move to the
next slide

○ Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb
○ Flats are in reverse order compared to the sharps.
○ Every flat is a 5th below the previous flat.
○ B becomes Bb when there is only 1 flat.
○ Bb connects to A to make a new half step.

○ Bb and C create a new whole step.
○ (E and F still remain as a half step)
○ The last two flats connect to the notes below them to

create the half step pairs.
What do I do now?
Your next step depends on how well you understood
the material in this presentation. You can try...
1. Playing the videos & slides, pausing them to study the
pictures and then answer the section questions.
2. Playing the half/whole step combinations for various key
signatures on your instrument.
3. Asking Mr. Marttila for help if you’re still having trouble
understanding the topic.
(In the next key signature lesson we will go into more detail
about key signature names & using the “ground” notes.)
Study the sharps (Home study section)
The following slides are from the video on sharps.
Take a few minutes to study with these key questions:
● Where are the half step pairs for this key?
● How did this key compare to the last key?
● What notes changed?
● How would I play these notes on my A string?
● How could I play these notes on my other strings?
Click the slide or use the navigation arrows to move through the pictures...
(C Major)
Where are the half step pairs for this key?
How would I play these notes on my A

string?
How could I play these notes on my other

strings?
(G Major)
How did this key compare to the last key?
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(D Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(A Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(E Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(B Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(F# Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(C# Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
Study the flats (Home study section)
The following slides are from the video on sharps.
Take a few minutes to study with these key questions:
● Where are the half step pairs for this key?
● How did this key compare to the last key?
● What notes changed?
● How would I play these notes on my A string?
● How could I play these notes on my other strings?
Click the slide or use the navigation arrows to move through the pictures...
(C Major)

string?

strings?
(F Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Bb Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Eb Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Ab Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Db Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Gb Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
(Cb Major)
What notes changed?

string?

strings?
Credits
“Kitten trying to get a goldfish”

© Tetra Images/Corbis
Image purchased and used by John Marttila in compliance with the Corbis Content License Agreement.
All other content, including images, video, audio, music, and text, were created by John Marttila.

Finding Half Steps in Key Signatures

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Finding Half Steps in Key Signatures

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Finding Half Steps

● What are half steps and whole steps?

1. How half steps create “ground” notes

● What does the key signature tell us?

○ The key signature tells us where the half and whole

● How many half steps are represented by each key

○ There are two half steps represented in each key

● What are the “ground” notes with no sharps or flats?

○ The “ground” notes are C and E with no sharps or

● How many whole steps are in the smaller and larger

○ There are 2 whole steps in the smaller group and

● Which group of whole steps are the “ground” notes

○ The “ground” notes are the outside notes of the

● What is the distance between most notes on a string?

● What is the distance between most notes on a string?

Check your answers on the next slides...

● What is the distance between most notes on a string?

○ Most notes are a whole step apart.

● How many pairs of notes are a half step apart?

○ Two pairs of notes are a half step apart.

● What key signature were the song lyrics about?

○ The key signature that has no sharps and no flats.

● What is the saying to remember the half steps when

○ Baby Cats Eat Fish

● What is the order for adding sharps to a key signature?

● What is the order for adding sharps to a key signature?

● What is the order for adding sharps to a key signature?

○ F#, C#, G#, D#, A#, E#, B#

● What is a common saying for the order of sharps?

○ Fat Cats Go Down Alleys Eating Birds

● What is the distance (interval) between sharps?

○ Every sharp is a 5th above the previous sharp.

● Which note changes when there is only 1 sharp?

○ F becomes F# when there is only 1 sharp.

● What half and whole steps change with only 1 sharp?

○ F# connects to G to make a new half step.

○ The last two sharps connect to the notes above

● What is the order for adding flats to a key signature?

● What is the order for adding flats to a key signature?

● What is the order for adding flats to a key signature?

○ Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb, Fb

● How does the order of flats compare to the sharps?

○ Flats are in reverse order compared to the sharps.

● What is the distance (interval) between flats?

○ Every flat is a 5th below the previous flat.

● Which note changes when there is only 1 flat?

○ B becomes Bb when there is only 1 flat.

● What half and whole steps change with only 1 flat?

○ Bb connects to A to make a new half step.

○ The last two flats connect to the notes below them to

Where are the half step pairs for this key?

How would I play these notes on my A

How could I play these notes on my other

Where are the half step pairs for this key?

How did this key compare to the last key?

What notes changed?

How would I play these notes on my A

How could I play these notes on my other

Where are the half step pairs for this key?

How did this key compare to the last key?

What notes changed?

How would I play these notes on my A

How could I play these notes on my other

Where are the half step pairs for this key?