Steps, skips and leaps
On the staff, a step goes from a line to the next space (or space to line): the next white key. A skip goes line to line or space to space, missing one key. Anything wider is a leap, and fourths and fifths are best read by their shape.
On the staff, a step goes from a line to the very next space, or a space to the next line: the next white key. A skip goes from a line to the next line, or a space to the next space, missing one key out. Anything wider is a leap; the fourth and the fifth are the first to learn by shape. Reading by these distances, instead of naming every note, is the fastest way to read.
The distances, on the staff and on the keys
| Distance | Also called | On the staff | On the keys | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The same | Unison, repeat | The same line or space | The same key | C to C |
| Step | Second | Line to the next space, or space to the next line | The next white key | C to D |
| Skip | Third | Line to the next line, or space to the next space | Miss one white key | C to E |
| Fourth | Leap | Line to a space, one further on (or space to line) | Miss two white keys | C to F |
| Fifth | Leap | Line to line two lines up (or space to space) | Miss three white keys | C to G |
The names count both ends. From C to E is a third because C, D and E are three letters. That is why a skip is not "one" of anything: it is two letters on.
Reading by shape
The quickest readers don't read letters at all after the first note. They see:
- a step as two notes touching, one on a line and one in the space beside it;
- a skip as two notes both on lines (or both in spaces), on neighbouring lines (or spaces);
- a fifth as both on lines (or both in spaces), with one line (or space) left empty between them;
- a fourth as one on a line and one in a space, further apart than a step.
A useful habit: say the distance before the note. "Up a skip, down a step." Once your hand knows what a skip feels like in a five-finger position (fingers 1 to 3, or 3 to 5), the eye and the hand work together.
Hands and distances
In a five-finger position, distances are fingers:
- a step is the next finger;
- a skip misses a finger out (1 to 3, 2 to 4, 3 to 5);
- a fifth is thumb to little finger (1 to 5).
So a fifth on the page, in position, is simply "thumb and little finger". A fourth is 1 to 4, or 2 to 5.
Common mistakes
- Counting the starting note as zero. A skip is two letters on, C to E, not C to D.
- Taking a fourth for a skip. A skip is line to line; a fourth is line to space, one further out.
- Missing a change of direction. Say "up" or "down" as well as the distance.
- Reading every note from a landmark. Use a landmark for the first note of a phrase, then read by distance from note to note.
How to practise
- Play steps and skips in C position: C D, C E, D F, E G, then downwards.
- Say, then play. Look at two notes, say "step" or "skip", then play them without naming either.
- Add fourths and fifths: C F, C G, D G, D A. Feel the hand open.
- Read a whole phrase by distance. Find the first note, then only say the distances aloud.
How Octotune helps
Octotune introduces steps and skips early: the Mix in Unit 2 asks "step or skip?" about two written notes. Unit 6 makes distance the main idea, with leaps of a fourth and a fifth, and a Mix that asks for the distance before the notes. In Kids mode, steps and skips are "hops" and "skips" from one line or space to the next. Open Octotune.
Next: Note lengths.
Questions
What is a step in music?
A move from one note to the very next one: from a line to the next space, or a space to the next line. On the piano it is the next white key, such as C to D.
What is a skip in music?
A move from a line to the next line, or a space to the next space, missing one note out. On the piano it misses one white key, such as C to E. It is also called a third.
What is a leap?
Any move wider than a skip. The first two to learn are the fourth (line to space, further on, such as C to F) and the fifth (line to line two lines up, such as C to G).