Beginning Piano Day One - Learning Half Steps and Whole Steps - Chords 101 Course - DAY 1

Published by Chris Marx on February 26, 2009 10:42 pm under CHORDS 101 Piano Lessons, Easy Piano Lessons
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This is the first piano lesson in the chords 101 video component of the course.

In this video, we go over everything you need to know about half steps and whole steps.
This is one of the first theory concepts you should really learn on piano. Because then we will be able to count out chords and scales with whole and half steps on the piano.

Practice finding half steps and whole steps from every key like I do in the video.
Here are a few examples below:
C to D = whole step
C to C# (sharp) = half step
B to C = half step

PLEASE SHARE THIS PIANO LESSON!!!

26 Comments so far

Dan the Music Master on February 26th, 2009

I’m glad to see semitones (half steps) explained thoroughly. Constructing chords and understanding transposition are quite dependent on this type of rudimentary knowledge.
Your Help Needed! CHORDS 101 Feedback!!! | Fast Piano Lessons Blog on March 1st, 2009

[...] Beginning Piano Day One - Learning Half Steps and Whole Steps - Chords 101 Course - DAY 1 [...]
Pedro on March 6th, 2009

Hi, Chris. I’d like to learn about the weird chords, in your performance. Thanks for this space, where I’m learning a lot of exercices. I’m the colombian boy
liz on March 6th, 2009

great explaination and easy to follow I liked the quize at the end I am just a beginner and I dont understand why I have to know the whole and half step rule. can you explain this please.

Hey Liz,
Go to day two,
learning half steps and whole steps helps you build chords.

There are 24 major and minor chords…
(Take the 2 major and minor shapes and multiply it by the 12 keys)
Now you COULD memorize the way each chord looks: white, black, white… black, black, black.. etc.
But this is not a good use of your time or memory!

This is where half steps and whole steps come in.
There is one pattern of half and whole steps for all major chords and one for all minor chords.

So to memorize all your major and minor triads, you just need to remember this:
Major = 4+3; Minor = 3+4

Thats going to be a lot easier for you than memorizing each of the 24 shapes…
Go on to Day 2 for more details and
GOOD LUCK!!!
Chris Marx
Carlos on May 20th, 2009

Hi Chris,

Thank you so much for the site. The materials are very very good. Great effort, care and quality on them. Amazing job.

Thanks a lot Carlos!
I’m working on adding some more this week.
My goal is to give piano players a good foundation for what will help them be able to create their own music and read from fake books or lyric sheets off the internet.
Keep practicing!
-Chris Marx
Mackenzie on July 23rd, 2009

hi this site has helped me understand chords better! thank you chris! also i was wondering if you would be kind enough to post videos of you teaching songs on keyboard, like different song that we would like to learn because you break things down and teach it simply. thank you again!
Chris Marx on July 29th, 2009

Hi Mackenzie!

Glad to help with learning chords!

I try to switch up the videos between songs and theory lessons.

The next video I post will probably be a song, its impossible for me to meet everyones requests though.

I’ll keep working on it!

Thanks,
Chris Marx
Rosie Young on October 5th, 2009

Hi Christ

I just start back trying to play the piano about 3 month I took lesson some time ago but i was not good at it. So I stop am trying to play for my church choir. Am having a problem hearing the notes; when am playing a song i can’t find the next chord or note to the song. What sould I do. Plese help!

I spend hour, and hour on the web trying to play along with keyboard player
when i try by myself i can’t remember the notes.

Thank you for share the whole and half step with me now it is clear to me how to form the cords. If I can only memorize them when I play them.

Please, Please, Please help.
Candice on October 31st, 2009

Hi Chris!

Very good lesson:) I understood everything when I watched the video.

Candice
Bud Brown on November 18th, 2009

Thanks. You’re a great teacher! I’m really looking forward to the other lessons.
Chris Marx on November 22nd, 2009

Thanks Bud!
Great picture by the way.

I have a lot more lessons planned for 2010!
karly on December 19th, 2009

So that’s what a b flat is lol ..

now all of my dreams will come true
haha just kidding,
thanks, very useful although i don’t get some parts of it,
well that’s because they’re in english, i mean; i do understand it and i can speak it too
the thing is that i don’t even know anything about music in my own language, so the help that i could get from here would it be great, because i still haven’t found sites in spanish

thanks again Chris!
Глеб on December 24th, 2009

Привет Крис..!! Всё просто великолепно :)) Очень наглядно и понятно.. Правда не все слова, а в общем легко разобраться.. Побольше бы таких уроков…

Спасибо Огромное!!! :))
Nathan on February 6th, 2010

Hey Chris!
i wanted to let you know that it was your ray charles lesson on everyday i have the blues that made me start getting into the piano again, i am a guitarist at heart and soul, but ray just makes me wanna hit a few keys from time to time haha. But i was wondering, if you could do a lesson on either his version of driftin blues by charles brown, or charles browns original version. Ive picked up alot by ear, but turn arounds have never been my pal, hopefully you can help!

Thanks alot man
and keep up the great work
Jobe Thorn on April 7th, 2010

Okey! 1st lesson learned. And off we go
Hope to learn to play the piano before I die. It’s one of the things on my to do list…
linda on April 18th, 2010

Explained the half and whole steps very well. Thank you
Brie'Ana on April 22nd, 2010

Chris!
Great Job man. I have been trying to teach myself piano for awhile, picked it up in the summer, learned a bit on my own but never picked up up until now again. I never knew anything abut half steps, this was a great video. And i am from Seattle also, great city, born and raised. Keep up the good work. Maybe ill see ya around!
franck on April 23rd, 2010

Thnakls Chris! very clear
Denis on May 5th, 2010

Hi Chris!Amazing lessons, I was just dreaming about playing piano for 2 years, and now when I saw your awesome website, I finally started to learn it!Good to know that there’re such cool people like on the Earth!Many thanks and huge cheers from Russia!
Chris Marx on May 5th, 2010

Thanks Denis! There are many cool people on the planet. I think most of them play music and give off good vibrations…
Its freezing here in Seattle… hope Russia is a little warmer!
yaravi on May 8th, 2010

hi cris
I have a question can´t understand your lessons because a dont talk 100% english i´m from mexico and realy like the piano but a can´t understand your lessons realy i need help tnahk for your help.
ANKIT VERMA on May 21st, 2010

HI THANKS TO GIVE THESE LESSONS. I AM STARTED LEARN THESE LESSONS.
Heather on May 25th, 2010

haha that makes sense
i learnt something new! yeay!
Sean on June 21st, 2010

Hey,

I think these videos are fantastic, and as a semi-beginner piano player they’re exceptionally helpful.

Come to New York and teach me to play please!
Kayla on August 6th, 2010

Thank you so much! Your my lifesaver! Keep doing videos because they really truly help people. Keep up the good work and thank you so much!
Tina on August 19th, 2010

Hey Chris,

These piano lessons are pretty good, no, actually BETTER than the other ways of teaching piano. I am an amateur piano player and I am not so good at playing , but I have seen some of your videos and they are very comprehensible and fast. I would also like to say that I do not take piano lessons, yet these lessons are very useful for learning how to play the piano.

Thanks A lot Chris and keep posting more videos!

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