Back to andrewdownes.com

Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

Intervals explained!

On this page:
Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
Examples on white notes
Perfect and Major 
Minor, Diminished and Augmented 
Compound 

C to D is a 2nd

C to E is a 3rd

C to F is a 4th 

C to G is a 5th

C to A is a 6th

C to B is a 7th

C to C is an 8th or an octave

Now watch the free video below to hear the above examples and also to see them on a keyboard.

Ear Training:

2nd – “Do a Deer”
3rd – “While Shepherds Watched”
4th – “Away in a Manger”
5th – “Lavender’s Blue”
6th – “My Bonny”
7th – “Somewhere over the Rainbow” (first and third notes)
8th – “Somewhere over the Rainbow” (first and second notes)

Watch the free video to hear the tunes:

Perfect intervals are easier to tune, because they don’t sound as ‘perfect’ if they are slightly out, and beating can occur (an unpleasant effect caused by the sound waves going in and out of sync with each other).  This is because the ratio of the two pitch frequencies are simple: 2:1 for octaves, 3:2 for 5ths.  The strings on violins, violas and cellos are a 5th apart, and on double basses they are a 4th apart, making it easier to tune them.  Because the same beating problems don’t occur in 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths, musicians (not pianists because the pitch is fixed) can make a 2nd, third or a sixth or a 7th wider of narrower depending on taste or on what the harmonies are doing.



Return to the top of the page

C to Db is a minor 2nd

C to D sharp is an augmented 2nd

C to Ebb is a diminished 3rd

C to Eb is a minor 3rd

C to E sharp is an augmented 3rd

C to F flat is a diminished 4th

C to F sharp is an augmented 4th

C to G flat is a diminished 5th

C to G sharp is an augmented 5th

C to Abb is a diminished 6th

C to Ab is a minor 6th

C to A sharp is an augmented 6th

C to Bbb is a diminished 7th

C to Bb is a minor 7th

C to B sharp is an augmented 7th

Now watch the free video below to hear these examples and to see them on a keyboard.

0Save

Ear training

The first two notes of each tune below will help you to recognize the sound of these intervals.   

Minor 2nd -  “Young at Heart” – Frank Sinatra
Minor 3rd - "There'll be Bluebirds over the White Cliffs of Dover"
Augmented 4th/Diminished 5th - "Maria", West Side Story or The Simpsons
Augmented 5th/Minor 6th - "Where do I begin", Love Story
Augmented 6th/Minor 7th - "Somewhere", West Side Story


Now listen to them on this free video:

How to work out whether an interval is Augmented, Minor, or Diminished.

 

1)   Work out the key and notes of the major scale beginning on the lowest note. 

2)   Change the highest note to the note with that letter name that does belong to this major scale. 

3)   Count the lowest note, the highest note you worked out in number 2 and all the notes in between.

4)   Work out if the actual highest note is a semitone higher or lower than the note you worked out in 2.  If it is higher it is augmented, if lower, minor or diminished.

Examples

F to D sharp

1)   The key F major contains a Bb.  The scale is F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E F, G

2)   Change the highest note from D sharp to D because there is no D sharp in F major but there is a D.

3)   F –D = 6 notes

4)   D sharp is a semitone higher than D, so the interval is augmented.  F to D sharp is an augmented 6th.

B to F

1)   The key of B major contains F sharp, C sharp, G sharp, D sharp and A sharp.  The scale is B, C sharp, D sharp, E, F sharp, G sharp, A sharp, B.

2)   Change the highest note from F to F sharp.

3)   B – F sharp = 5 notes

4)   F is a semitone lower than F sharp, so we have a diminished 5th.

Return to the top of the page

C to Dbb is a Diminished 9th or a Compound Diminished 2nd

C to Db is a Minor 9th or a Compound Minor 2nd

C to D is a Major 9th or a Compound Major 2nd

C to D sharp is an Augmented 9th or a
Compound Augmented 2nd

C to Ebb is a Diminished 10th or a Compound Diminished 3rd

C to Eb is a Minor 10th or a Compound Minor 3rd

C to E is a Major 10th or a Compound Major 3rd

C to E sharp is an Augmented 10th or a
Compound Augmented 3rd

C to Fb is a Diminished 11th or a Compound Diminished 4th

C to F is a Perfect 11th or a Compound Perfect 4th

C to F sharp is an Augmented 11th or a
Compound Augmented 4th

C to Gb is a Diminished 12th or a Compound Diminished 5th

C to G is a Perfect 12th or a Compound Perfect 5th

C to G sharp is an Augmented 12th or a
Compound Augmented 5th

C to Abb is a Diminished 13th or a Compound Diminished 6th

C to Ab is a Minor 13th or a Compound Minor 6th

C to A is a Major 13th or a Compound Major 6th

C to A sharp is an Augmented 13th or a
Compound Augmented 6th

C to Bbb is a Diminished 14th or a Compound Diminished 7th

C to Bb is a Minor 14th or a Compound Minor 7th

C to B is a Major 14th or a Compound Major 7th

C to B sharp is an Augmented 14th or a
Compound Augmented 7th

Now watch the free video to hear them and see them on the keyboard:

Return to the top of the page

Home>Music Theory>Intervals

Music Education
Resources by Paula Downes, a lot of music by Andrew Downes

---

---

Back to andrewdownes.com

Follow Cynthia Downes on Instagram to keep up-to-date with her blog posts.