3 Notes Theory ThingsWilliam Wieland
Half StepsWhole StepsMajor Triad1–5–1Octaves
Play on the Piano: Half Steps — next to one another on the piano keyboard
Whole Steps — lowest 3 notes of any Major 5-finger Pattern
Major Triad — bottom, middle & top notes of any Major 5-finger Pattern
1–5–1 — 1 & 5 are the lowest & highest notes of any Major 5-finger Pattern
Octaves — same pitch name
Sing: Half Steps — the closest pitches most musicians sing
You can sing the rest with notes of the major scale, Numbers or Solfège, ascending or (descending).
Whole Steps — 1, 2, 3 (3, 2, 1) — do, re, mi (mi, re, do)
Major Triad — 1, 3, 5 (5, 3, 1) — do, mi, sol (sol, mi, do)
1–5–1 — 1, 5, 8 (8, 5, 1) — do, sol, do (do, sol, do)
Octaves — same number — same solfège
Familiar Tunes: Half Steps — The Entertainer (up) — "Wah, wah, wah!" (down)
Whole Steps — Frère Jacques (up) — Three Blind Mice (down)
Major Triad — Kum Ba Yah (up) — The Star-Spangled Banner (down)
1–5–1 — 2001: A Space Odyssey (up) — Superman Theme (down)
(The first and last notes of 1 – 5 – 1 are an octave apart.)
Practice Quizzes:

(8 questions each—The high note indicates which question is next by how often it is struck.)