CH 2- Intervals

  • Intervals are the distance from one note to another

    • Small intervals combine to form scales

    • Larger intervals combine to form chords

  • The two different components of an interval are Quality and distance

5 Different types of Intervals

  1. Major Intervals

  2. Minor Intervals

  3. Perfect Intervals

  4. Augmented Intervals

  5. Diminished Intervals

Half Steps

  • Smallest interval that western music uses

  • Piano is laid out in successive half steps starting from C

  • E-F & B-C are half step intervals (hidden)

Whole Steps

  • The distance of two half steps combined

    • Ex. C →D ; F# → G

  • The intervals between E and F and B and C are still natural half steps

  • A whole step from E ends up on F# because you have to go two half steps to get to F#

Intervals from Scales

Intervals in the C major Scale

  • C Major has no sharps or flats

  • The distance between any two adjacent notes in the scale is a collection of half and whole steps

  • Unison: An interval of no distance

  • Every major second comprises of two half steps distance (C→D)

  • Four half step distance is a Major Third (C→E)

  • Five half steps is a perfect fourth (C→F)

  • Seven half steps is a perfect fifth (C→G)

  • Nine half steps is a major sixth (C→A)

  • Eleven half steps is a major seventh (C→B)

  • Twelve half steps is an octave (C→C)

Intervals in the C minor Scale

  • The third, sixth, and seventh intervals are now minor

  • Intervals “perfect” in Cmaj remain the same

The Simple Intervals

  • The distance of intervals consist of quality, then numerical measure

Major Intervals

  • Apply only to the distances of seconds, thirds, sixths, and seventh

    • Major Second = Two half steps (One whole step)

    • Major Third = Four half Steps (Two whole steps)

    • Major Sixth = Nine half steps (Four and one half steps)

    • Major Seventh = Eleven half steps (Five and one half)

Minor Intervals

  • Only exist as seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths

  • One half step smaller than major interval

    • Minor Second = One half step (One half whole step)

    • Minor Third = Thee half steps (one and a half whole steps)

    • Minor Sixth = Eight half steps (Four whole steps)

    • Minor Seventh = Ten half steps (Five whole steps)

Perfect intervals

  • Encompass unison, fourth, fifth, and octave

  • All perfect intervals appear in both major and minor scales

    • Unison

    • Perfect fourth = Five half steps (Two and a half whole steps)

    • Perfect fifth = Seven half steps (Three and a half whole steps)

    • Perfect octave = Twelve half steps (Six whole steps)

  • All perfect intervals are “Stuck”

Advanced Intervals

Augmented Intervals

  • Any interval that is larger than a major or perfect interval

  • You can only augment second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth intervals

  • Can only use augmented intervals when notes are spelled in an unusual way

Diminished Intervals

  • An interval that has been made smaller

  • Typically only used to make perfect intervals smaller

  • Make a fourth or fifth diminished by lowering any perfect interval by one half step

  • Make minor interval diminished by lowering minor interval one half step

Chromatic Intervals

  • Chromatic scale includes all twelve tones (including all half tones)

  • Chromatic intervals are a semitone apart

  • If the top note of interval exists in the major scale of the bottom note, the interval is major or perfect

    • If not, its minor, diminished, or augmented

Diminished ←→ Minor ←→ Major ←→ Augmented

Diminished ←→ Perfect ←→ Augmented

Extra Side notes:

  • Second note in minor scale is a Major second from the root

  • Used when an interval is too large to be called major or perfect

  • Both diminished fifth and augmented fourth are considered tritones and sound terrible

  • The number of half steps is not always the deciding factor in its name

  • Look at distance between written notes, then look for the quality

Inverted and Extended Intervals

Interval Inversion

  • Any interval that ascends can be inverted (Flipped upside down)

The rule of Nine

  • When any interval is inverted, the sum of the ascending and descending intervals must add up to nine

Examples.

3rd becomes sixth (3+6=9)

7th becomes 2nd (7+2=9)

5th becomes 4th (5+4=9)

2nd Becomes 7th (2+7=9)

Inverted Qualities

  • If Major → Minor

  • If Minor → Major

  • Perfect interval remains perfect