The Music Alphabet

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The Music Alphabet

The Music Alphabet consists of the first seven letters of our English Alphabet:

A B C D E F G

After "G", the letters repeat, beginning with "A":

A B C D E F G A

The Music Alphabet doesn't begin or end on any particular letter:

E F G A B C D E F G A B C D E F

As you go alphabetically, the pitches get higher. As you go against the alphabet, the pitches get lower.

The smallest distance in Western Music is that of a half step. It stands to reason that two half steps make up a whole step. The distance between two adjacent notes of the Music alphabet is always a whole step except in to places; "B" to "C" is a half step and "E" to "F" is also a half step:

A -whole- B

B -half- C

C -whole- D

D -whole- E

E -half- F

F -whole- G

G -whole- A

On the piano, it is a half step from a white key to the nearest black key. On the guitar, it is a half step from one fret to the next fret. It is also a half step from an open string to the first fret on that same string. It is a whole step from an open string to the second fret on that same string

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