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Last month, you learned the fundamentals to determining the name of an interval. Just to recap, here’s the chart I posted in my last online classroom lesson.

 

 

Number of letters counted	Generic interval name
1	unison
2	second
3	third
4	fourth
5	fifth
6	sixth
7	seventh
8	octave (eighth)

 

 

 

Notice, with generic intervals, we’re not concerned with sharps, flats, key signatures or anything. We are just concerned with the simple alphabet.

 

How many ever letters it takes to create the interval is the name of the generic interval. It’s that simple.

 

 

Now, here’s where we move on.

 

With the generic name alone, we cannot fully build chord structures because it’s too broad. For example, all of these are thirds:

 

C to E

Cb to Eb

C# to E#

C to Eb

Cb to E

C to E#

 

…I think you get the point.

 

By the way, I’m not trying to confuse you. All of the notes above are real. Yes, there is a Cb and an E#. You won’t see them often in the top 12 key signatures found on the circle of fifths chart, but they do EXIST!

 

 

The point is that you can’t just say third if you want me to play a particular set of notes. While third is a way to DETERMINE what to name an interval, more specificity is needed to really know what exactly to play.

 

This is where we get into specific intervals.

 

You’ve probably heard the use of specific intervals a lot. These are names like “major thirds,” “major seconds,” “perfect fifths,” and others.

 

The “titles” you see in front of the intervals are what we call QUALIFYING TERMS. They change generic intervals into specific ones, which tell you exactly which notes to play (unlike the long list of THIRDS I described above).

 

 

Now counting specific intervals is a little different than counting generic intervals.

 

Recall that generic interval counting simply involves the number of letters (or notes) it takes to create the interval. From C to E, we’d count C as 1, D as 2, and E as 3, which means that this is a third interval.

 

With specific intervals, we will be counting differently. I’ll make it easier for you…

 

This is my own analogy. This isn’t meant to get you into the Julliard school of music but it’ll help ya!

 

Generic intervals, to me, are shapes.

 

Unisons are certain shapes.

Seconds are another set of shapes.

Thirds are shapes.

Fourths, fifths, sixths, and sevenths are different shapes.

 

Now, by just knowing that second intervals are CIRCLES, for example, doesn’t tell me what color the circle should be… or how big the circle should be. All I know is that they’re circles. Of course, I’m making up the whole “circles” thing. Don’t go around telling people that I said seconds are circles. :)

 

Now, you wouldn’t call a square a circle, so it’s very important to know that seconds are circles, right?

 

Then comes specific intervals. We take all the circles (that would be all “second” intervals) and now we further separate them.

 

Some circles are bigger. Some are smaller. In music, we’d call this minor seconds versus major seconds.

 

You get it?

 

Specific intervals tell us EXACTLY what’s going on. They don’t undo the “generic” techniques we learned — they simply add to it.

 

It is impossible to have a generic second but then get a major third from the same interval. So, it is important that whatever you determine during “generic” naming holds true when you are using qualifying  terms to create specific intervals. Ok?

 

 

There are different qualifying terms. I’ll list them:

 

Perfect

 

Major

 

Minor

 

Diminished

 

Augmented

 

 

How do we know which one of these terms is suppose to go with our interval? It’s simple.

 

We count half steps.

 

 

(If you’re new, a half step is also known as a semitone. It is pretty much the smallest interval. From key to key is a half step. C to C# is a half step. E to F is a half step. Notice I’m not skipping any notes. If you skip a note, you aren’t moving in half steps. You’d actually be moving in whole steps. In this case, we want HALF STEPS ONLY!)

 

Also, here’s a poem that’ll help you remember half steps vs whole steps:

 

Half steps are from key to key

with no keys in between,

 

Whole steps always skip a key

with one key in between.

 

 

Before we do some quick exercises, it is important to know that the counting DOES NOT START on the first note like it did with generic counting. We are counting the actual steps now.

 

Picture going up a stairs. In this case, we aren’t counting the ground floor. We will, however, be counting the actual steps it takes to get to the upper floor. Same applies here.

 

Let me show you below:

 

How many half steps are in between C and E?

 

C to Db is 1 (notice I start counting the half step in between C and the next note).

 

Db to D is 2

 

D to Eb is 3

 

Eb to E is 4

 

Answer: There are 4 half steps between C and E.

 

Note: Over time, you start to get really good at counting half steps pretty fast and will even make up your own little tricks. For now, stick with my basic version above and you’ll never get the wrong answer.

 

 

How many half steps are in between F and Bb?

 

F to Gb is 1

 

Gb to G is 2

 

G to Ab is 3

 

Ab to A is 4

 

A to Bb is 5

 

Answer: There are 5 half steps between F and Bb.

 

 

 

 

The table below shows the interval names and the number of half steps associated with each type of interval.

 

 

Interval name	No. of half steps
unison	0
minor second	1
major second	2
minor third	3
major third	4
perfect fourth	5
(tritone)	(6)
perfect fifth	7
minor sixth	8
major sixth	9
minor seventh	10
major seventh	11
octave (eighth)	12

 

 

Notice from the chart above:

 

The terms “major” and “minor” are reserved for second, third, sixth, and seventh intervals.

 

The term “perfect” is reserved for unison, fourth, fifth, and octave intervals, though you really don’t hear it a lot with unison and octave. So, fourths and fifths, for sure, get the “perfect” term. You won’t ever hear perfect second or perfect third because the perfect term only goes with unison, fourth, fifth, and octave, as I noted above.

 

Later, you’ll learn about augmented and diminished terms. They have purposes as well.

 

 

 

Here’s the tricky part though.

 

You now know that an interval with 4 half steps separating the notes is called a major third. An example of this would be C to E. This is the same interval that helps to create the major chord.

 

Let’s look at an interval like C to Eb.

 

What would this be called? Just count up the half steps:

 

C to Db is 1

Db to D is 2

D to Eb is 3

 

3 half steps = minor third

 

Keep in mind that your answer must also pass the “generic interval” test. Is C to Eb a third?

 

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

 

Yes, it passes!

 

 

What about C to D#?

 

C to Db is 1

Db to D is 2

D to D# is 3

 

Hmmm, it has three half steps. Three half steps means a third sure enough, but would this pass the “generic test?”

 

C is 1

D is 2

 

According to what we know about naming intervals, this should be a second. ANY C to ANY D is a second — no doubt about it!

 

This is where you will need to use the qualifying terms: Augmented and Diminished.

 

 

Augmented means to make bigger.

Diminished means to make smaller.

 

 

In this case, we have a second that is three half steps apart. Since we can’t call it a third, we will have to call it an augmented second… in other words, a “second made bigger.”

 

So basically, when an interval is a half step larger, it is said to be augmented.

 

When an interval is a half step smaller, it is said to be diminished.

 

 

I’m going to quiz you on this but first, let’s do a practice question together.

 

 

What is a major third up from D?

 

Step 1: Determine generic interval:

 

D is 1

E is 2

F is 3

 

So far, I know that a third up from D is going to be SOME kind of F. I don’t know which F at the moment but because I have a good education in “generic intervals,” I know that a third up from D can be nothing other than some kind of F.

 

Step 2: Determine specific interval:

 

Once we’ve determined some kind of F, we need to figure out what kind of F it would need to be to create a major third interval.

 

From our chart above, we know that major third intervals always have 4 half steps in between the lower and upper note.

 

So start at D:

 

D to D# is 1

D# to E is 2

E to F is 3

F to ____ is 4

 

 

This is the big question. Do we say F# or Gb? Well, since we’ve already done step 1 and we know we’re looking for SOME KIND OF F, it would make absolutely NO SENSE to choose Gb. Therefore, the answer is F#.

 

Answer: From D to F# is a major third interval.

 

 

Now, this gets so much faster over time. Trust me. You’ll be identifying intervals in seconds as you rehearse these concepts more and more.

 

 

 

Let’s complete these questions:

 

 

1) A perfect fifth up from B

__________________________________

 

2) A perfect fifth down from C

 

__________________________________

 

3) A minor third up from Eb

 

__________________________________

 

4) A major sixth up from A

 

__________________________________

 

5) A major third down from G

 

__________________________________

 

6) A perfect fourth up from F

 

__________________________________

 

7) A major second down from C

 

__________________________________

 

8) A minor seventh up from A

 

__________________________________

 

9) A major sixth down from D

 

__________________________________

 

10) A minor third down from F

 

__________________________________

 

 

 

Answers are below:

 

 

1) A perfect fifth up from B

 

Generic:

 

B is 1

C is 2

D is 3

E is 4

F is 5

 

 

Specific:

 

B to C is 1

C to C# is 2

C# to D is 3

D to D# is 4

D# to E is 5

E to F is 6

F to F# is 7

 

Answer: B up to F# is perfect fifth

 

 

2) A perfect fifth down from C

 

Generic:

 

C is 1

B is 2

A is 3

G is 4

F is 5

 

Note: Counting down generically is the same thing. Just count alphabet backwards.

 

Specific:

 

C to B is 1

B to Bb is 2

Bb to A is 3

A to Ab is 4

Ab to G is 5

G to Gb is 6

Gb to F is 7

 

Answer: C down to F is a perfect fifth

 

 

3) A minor third up from Eb

 

Generic:

 

E is 1

F is 2

G is 3

 

Specific:

 

Eb to E is 1

E to F is 2

F to Gb is 3

 

Answer: Eb up to Gb is a minor third

 

 

4) A major sixth up from A

 

Generic:

 

A is 1

B is 2

C is 3

D is 4

E is 5

F is 6

 

Specific:

 

A to A# is 1

A# to B is 2

B to C is 3

C to C# is 4

C# to D is 5

D to D# is 6

D# to E is 7

E to F is 8

F to F# is 9

 

Answer: A up to F# is a major sixth

 

 

5) A major third down from G

 

Generic:

 

G is 1

F is 2

E is 3

 

Specific:

 

G to F# is 1

F# to F is 2

F to E is 3

E to Eb is 4

 

Answer: G down to Eb is a major third

 

 

 

6) A perfect fourth up from F

 

Generic:

F is 1

G is 2

A is 3

B is 4

 

Specific:

 

F to Gb is 1

Gb to G is 2

G to Ab is 3

Ab to A is 4

A to Bb is 5

 

Answer: F up to Bb is a perfect fourth

 

 

7) A major second down from C

 

Generic:

 

C is 1

B is 2

 

Specific:

 

C to B is 1

B to Bb is 2

 

Answer: C down to Bb is a major second

 

 

8) A minor seventh up from A

 

Generic:

 

A is 1

B is 2

C is 3

D is 4

E is 5

F is 6

G is 7

 

Specific:

 

A to A# is 1

A# to B is 2

B to C is 3

C to C# is 4

C# to D is 5

D to D# is 6

D# to E is 7

E to F is 8

F to F# is 9

F# to G is 10

 

Answer: A up to G is a minor seventh

 

 

9) A major sixth down from D

 

Generic:

 

D is 1

C is 2

B is 3

A is 4

G is 5

F is 6

 

Specific:

 

D to C# is 1

C# to C is 2

C to B is 3

B to A# is 4

A# to A is 5

A to G# is 6

G# to G is 7

G to F# is 8

F# to F is 9

 

Answer: D down to F is a major sixth

 

 

 

10) A minor third down from F

 

Generic:

 

F is 1

E is 2

D is 3

 

Specific:

 

F to E is 1

E to Eb is 2

Eb to D is 3

 

Answer: F down to D is a minor third

 

 

 

We’re done for this lesson. I hope you enjoyed it! Coupled with last month’s newsletter, you should have a good knowledge of intervals and will never quote a major or minor chord wrong again.

 

Remember:

 

Major chord = Major third plus perfect fifth interval

 

Minor chord = Minor third plus perfect fifth interval

 

 

Explore these chord types to prepare for future newsletters:

• Major triads; see pg chapter 5 of 300pg course
• Minor triads; see pg chapter 8 of 300pg course
• Major sixth chords; see pg chapter 13 of 300pg course
• Minor sixth chords; see pg chapter 13 of 300pg course
• Seventh (dominant) chords; see pg chapter 10 of 300pg course
• Minor seventh chords; see pg chapter 10 of 300pg course
• Major ninth chords; see pg chapter 14 of 300pg course

Popularity: 6% [?]

I’ve seen this subject taught by many people. Sometimes, it gets confusing for the starter. Sometimes, it makes perfect sense.

 

As always, it is my goal to break down this concept so clearly that EVERYONE will be able to understand it with minimal questions.

 

 

First, let’s define the term “interval.”

 

What is an interval in music?

 

 

It’s simple.

 

A music interval is the relationship between two notes (…basically, the distance between notes).

 

 

There are two main types of intervals.

 

 

Melodic intervals (also known as “linear intervals”) and harmonic intervals (also known as “vertical intervals”).

 

 

A melodic interval is the distance between two notes played separately, one after the other.

 

If I play a C, then an E, then an F, these would be melodic intervals because I’m playing each note separately, one after the other.

 

 

 

If melodic intervals describe the relationship between two notes played successively, then harmonic interval must describe the relationship between two notes played simultaneously, or at the same time.

 

 

So, to recap:

 

Melodic = the distance between notes played separately

Harmonic = the distance between notes played at the same time

 

 

The rules I’m going to show you apply BOTH to melodic and harmonic intervals. I just thought it’d be beneficial to cover the “basics” before teaching you the rules of the game.

 

 

Moving on…

 

 

You already know that the musical alphabet borrows from the first seven letters of the English alphabet - A, B, C, D, E, F, G

 

 

Regardless of the type (melodic or harmonic), there are two ways to name intervals: generic and specific.

 

We will cover generic now and specific next month.

 

 

When you think in terms of generic intervals, you are not concerned with sharps and flats. In fact, when counting generic intervals, you totally ignore sharps and flats and simply use the alphabet (the note names).

 

REMEMBER: The correct name of an interval depends on the names given by its two notes. This will be important later, as you’ll learn.

 

 

It’s simple.

 

Starting with any letter of the alphabet (which will be considered the “lower” note of the interval), simply count up each letter until you reach the “higher” note.

 

Now, you’ll need to include the first letter in your count as well as the last letter. Also keep in mind that after “G”, you start back over with “A” as you’d normally see on a regular piano.

 

So, if I wanted to figure out the interval between A and C, I’d simply count the letters of the alphabet from A to C, including both the starting letter and the ending letter in my count.

 

 

A is 1

B is 2

C is 3

 

This means that the interval from “A” to “C” is a third.

 

(Now, if you already understand a little bit about intervals, don’t be confused. I haven’t specified whether it is a major third or a minor third. When talking generic intervals, we are not concerned with major, minor, perfect, augmented, or any of that right now. We are simply concerned with what type of interval it is. This is the key to CORRECTLY identifying intervals).

 

Now, since it takes 3 alphabet letters to make up this A-C interval, it would be incorrect to label this a second… or to label this a fourth. Believe it or not, many people do this EVERY DAY! Real-life examples may not be as simple as the demonstration above (from A to C) but if you’ve ever called F# to Bb a major third or even the beginning of a major chord, you’ve incorrectly labeled intervals and chords before!

 

Don’t worry, I’m the first to admit I have!

 

Now, let’s go with my example above (F# to Bb). First of all, because we’re currently dealing with the GENERIC interval, we’d totally drop any sharps or flats. We don’t need them. If we can’t determine the UNDERLYING interval, how can we correctly label the specific interval (which you’ll learn later).

 

So, let’s count the alphabet letters:

 

F is 1

G is 2

A is 3

B is 4.

 

So from F# to Bb is certainly a fourth. Later on, we’ll determine specifically what kind of fourth it is.

 

 

If you’re familiar with major chords, you know that FOURTHS don’t make up major chords.

 

A major chord is built on a major third interval and a perfect fifth interval.

 

In other words, from C to E is a major third and from C to G is a perfect fifth. Get rid of the duplicate C and you have: C + E + G. This is the c major chord, of course.

 

Basically, what I’m saying is that it would be impossible to form a major chord with F# and Bb because as we’ve just determined, this interval is a FOURTH.

 

 

Just based on generic intervals, how then can we correct this problem?

 

How can we make F# to Gb a major third, which can then be correctly used in forming the famous “major chord?”

 

It’s simple. Just change one of the notes. Either conform the bottom note to the top note or the top note to the bottom. Right now, there can’t be any KIND of F and any KIND of B together or you’ll always get a fourth.

 

 

So, let’s transform F#-Bb into a third interval.

 

OPTION #1:

 

Keep the F# and change Bb to A#.

 

Now we have F# and A#. This creates the same exact sound we’re looking for in the major chord and is now labeled correctly.

 

But let’s count it to make sure this is a generic third interval.

 

Remember, in counting generic intervals, it is not necessary to worry about sharps and flats. You are ONLY dealing with alphabet letters.

 

F is 1

G is 2

A is 3

 

So F# to A# is now confirmed as a third interval. Later on, we’ll determine whether this is a major third, a minor third, or otherwise. This is what we call specific intervals. Right now, we’re still in the generic!

 

 

 

OPTION #2:

 

Keep the Bb and change the F#.

 

Now we have Gb instead of F# (remember, Gb and F# both make the same sound so nothing is changed about what you hear). They are enharmonic.

 

Uh ohh… new term.

 

 

Enharmonic just simply means two notes that are equivalent of each other but have different names. C# and Db are enharmonic.

 

To make it even simpler… you’d say “four” and “for” and even “fore” the same way, right? But you spell them differently. They are NOT the same. If you use one for the other, even though they sound the same, you may steer a conversation in a whole different direction.

 

What if I wrote a note to someone saying, “I’ll need you for today.” That means, I will be needing your assistance today.

 

What if I wrote to the same person, “I’ll need you four today,” that means something totally different. The person will say, “what four… I don’t have three other people to help, just myself.”

 

The point is:

 

In music, these things are important. If you use a Gb when you’re suppose to say F#, then you could be calling a chord or interval something that it’s not.

 

Back to work:

 

 

If you change F# to Gb and keep the Bb, you have: Gb and Bb

 

Let’s confirm that this is, in fact, a third interval:

 

Drop the flats and sharps. Not needed.

 

 

G is 1

A is 2

B is 3

 

It confirms.

 

 

So F# > A# is a third and Gb > Bb is a third.

 

 

Do you see where I’m going with this? All this stuff is vital.

 

 

 

Let’s do one more and I’ll give you a chart that’ll summarize all generic intervals.

 

 

What is the name of the interval that describes E to D?

 

___________________________

 

 

 

Answer: Let’s count.

 

E is 1

F is 2

G is 3

A is 4

B is 5

C is 6

D is 7

 

 

E to D is a seventh. What specific kind of seventh? We’ll find out later. But for now, just know that understanding GENERIC INTERVALS is the key to correctly identifying specific intervals.

 

 

Since the generic name of an interval is not concerned with flats and sharps, you can pretty much say:

 

From some kind of E to some kind of D is a seventh interval.

 

It could be D to E.

It could be Db to E.

It could be D to Eb

It could be Db to Eb.

 

These are all sevenths, generically. Later on, we’ll learn how to actually count the number of half steps in between the interval. This will tell us SPECIFICALLY what kind of interval (like major seventh, minor seventh, augmented seventh, etc).

 

Here’s a chart that’ll make your understanding of this a whole lot easier:

 

 

Number of letters counted	Generic interval name
1	unison
2	second
3	third
4	fourth
5	fifth
6	sixth
7	seventh
8	octave (eighth)

 

 

 

 

Let’s apply this to the real piano.

 

 

Right now, I’ll quiz you on harmonic and melodic intervals as well as generic intervals.

 

Keep in mind that harmonic intervals are tones played at the same time and melodic intervals are tones played one at a time. The generic name of the interval is simply the number of letters it takes to create the interval.

 

 

For each situation below, give the type and name of the interval:

 

1) Playing a C and E together

__________________________________________

 

 

2) Playing a D and G separately

__________________________________________

 

 

 

3) Playing an F# and B separately

__________________________________________

 

 

4) Playing a Db and Bb together

__________________________________________

 

 

5) Playing a B and D together

__________________________________________

 

 

6) Playing a C and the same C immediately after

__________________________________________

 

 

7) Playing D and E separately

__________________________________________

 

 

 

 

Ok, let’s check our answers:

 

 

1) Playing a C and E together:

 

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

 

Answer: Harmonic, Third Interval

 

 

2) Playing a D and G separately:

 

D is 1

E is 2

F is 3

G is 4

 

Answer: Melodic, Fourth Interval

 

 

3) Playing an F# and B separately

 

F is 1

G is 2

A is 3

B is 4

 

Answer: Melodic, Fourth Interval

 

 

4) Playing a Db and Bb together

 

D is 1

E is 2

F is 3

G is 4

A is 5

B is 6

 

Answer: Harmonic, Sixth Interval

 

 

5) Playing a B and D together

 

B is 1

C is 2

D is 3

 

Answer: Harmonic, Third Interval

 

 

6) Playing a C and the same C immediately after

 

C is 1

 

Answer: Melodic, Unison Interval

 

 

7) Playing D and E separately

 

D is 1

E is 2

 

Answer: Melodic, Second Interval

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, let’s do one more quiz. This time, I will only list seconds and thirds.

 

Correctly identify whether the following intervals are seconds or thirds:

 

 

1) Db / Eb

 

2) C / E

 

3) Db / F

 

4) C# / E#

 

5) Gb / Ab

 

6) Gb / A#

 

7) E / G#

 

9) Db / F#

 

10) B / C#

 

 

Ok, now let’s see how well you understand GENERIC INTERVALS. The answers are listed below:

 

 

1) Db / Eb

 

D is 1

E is 2

 

Answer: Second

 

 

2) C / E

 

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

 

Answer: Third

 

 

3) Db / F

 

D is 1

E is 2

F is 3

 

Answer: Third

 

 

4) C# / E#

 

C is 1

D is 2

E is 3

 

Answer: Third

 

 

5) Gb / Ab

 

G is 1

A is 2

 

Answer: Second

 

 

6) Gb / A#

 

G is 1

A is 2

 

Answer: Second

 

 

7) E / G#

 

E is 1

F is 2

G is 3

 

Answer: Third

 

 

9) Db / F#

 

D is 1

E is 2

F is 3

 

Answer: Third

 

 

 

10) B / C#

 

B is 1

C is 2

 

Answer: Second

 

 

 

This concludes this month’s lesson. Next month, we’ll dig deeper into specific intervals and how to correctly identify chords and more!

 

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