Kaii had combined several piano/keyboard method books and her life long music learning books to create this sequential music theory study for this website. This page is about the understanding of Intervals, the distances between any two sounds. By clicking on the other colored links at the bottom of this page, the other music theory topics can be found easily.
For more information, please contact Kaii directly: info@kafm.net
Unison/Prime | Major/Minor Seconds | Major/Minor Thirds | Perfect Fourths | Perfect Fifths
Major/Minor Sixths | Major/Minor Sevenths | Perfect Octave | Augmented | Diminished
In music, an Interval is the distance between two tones/pitches/notes. All intervals are based on mathematical numbers and quantities of musical steps, such as Letter Names, Whole Step and Half Step. For example, using the piano keyboard, C and D has the distance of a Second, or a Whole Step (with C#/Db in the middle), or Neighbors. C and E has the distance of a Third, or with a Skip of D in between, C and F has the distance of a Fourth, with skips of D and E in between, and so on. The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
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To determine any intervals on sheet music, count the two notes that create the distance and every line and space in between them. See the following samples for some simple intervals without accidentals.
Simple Interval Samples
By using the Well Temperament, a type of tempered tuning, the twelve tones/pitches per octave of the standard keyboard were tuned in such a way that it was possible to play music in all major or minor keys that were commonly in use, without sounding perceptibly out of tune. Click here for an article about "Math vs. Music." The "Natural Half Steps", E to F and B to C, have help created perfect, major/minor, diminished, and augmented intervals.
The shortest distance of any interval is the "Unison" or "Prime", for it has two tones/pitches that produce the same exact sound. When two people sing the same pitch at the same time, is also called "Singing in Unison."
The Interval of Unison/Prime
The "Natural Half Steps" on a piano keyboard, E to F and B to C, create intervals of a Minor Second, or Half Steps, that can be used to determine other intervals as well. The following samples are all intervals of Minor Seconds, or Half Steps. Another interesting point about the "Half Steps": they come in two different types - Chromatic and Diatonic. Chromatic half steps contain the same alphabet letters. For instance, C and C#, Eb and E, and G and G# are all pairs of chromatic half steps. Diatonic half steps also contain half step motions but use adjacent letters in the musical alphabet. E and F, F# and G, and A and Bb are pairs of diatonic half steps.
The Interval of a Minor Second or a Half Step, Chromatic and Diatonic
The Interval of a Second comes in four different forms: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. The Interval of a Major Second is simply a combination of two intervals of Minor Seconds. Or, the Whole Step is a combination of two continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Major Second or a Whole Step
For the reason of being less frequently used, the Intervals of an Augmented Second and Diminished Second can be found later on this page. The Augmented Second has one half step more than the Major Second, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Minor Third. But as a written interval, it uses two connecting letter names, such as C to D-Sharp, or B-Flat to C-Sharp. The Diminished Second has one half step less than the Minor Second, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Unison. But as a written interval, it uses two connecting letter names, such as C-Sharp to D-Flat, or B to C-Flat.
The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
The Interval of a Third comes in four different forms too: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. The Interval of a Minor Third is simply a combination of one interval of a Major Second and one interval of a Minor Second, or, the combination of three continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Minor Third
The Interval of a Major Third is one Half Step further than an interval of a Minor Third. It is simply a combination of two intervals of Major Seconds, or two Whole Steps, or, the combination of four continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Major Third For the reason of being less frequently used, the Intervals of an Augmented Third and Diminished Third can be found later on this page. The Augmented Third has one half step more than the Major Third, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Perfect Fourth. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with a skip in between, such as C to E-Sharp, or B-Flat to D-Sharp. The Diminished Third has one half step less than the Minor Third, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Major Second. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with a skip in between, such as C-Sharp to E-Flat, or B to D-Flat.
The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
Due to the mathematical calculations in Well Temperament, the Interval of a Perfect Fourth is like the Unison/Prime, without any associations with major or minor. The interval of a Perfect Fourth is simply a combination of an interval of a Major Third plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of five continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Perfect Fourth The Augmented Fourth and Diminished Fourth can be found later on this page. The Augmented Fourth is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fourth plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of six continuous Half Steps. It is sometimes referred as the "Tritone", such as C to F-Sharp, or G-Flat to C. The Diminished Fourth is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fourth minus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of four continuous Half Steps, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Major Third. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with two skips in between, such as C-Sharp to F, or B to E-Flat.
Like the interval of a fourth, the Interval of a Perfect Fifth is a stand-alone interval, without any associations with major or minor. It is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fourth plus an interval of a Major Second/Whole Step, or, the combination of seven continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Perfect Fifth The Augmented Fifth and Diminished Fifth can be found later on this page. The Augmented Fifth is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fifth plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of eight continuous Half Steps. It creates a sound of the interval of a Minor Sixth, such as C to G-Sharp, or B-Flat to F-Sharp. The Diminished Fifth is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fifth minus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of six continuous Half Steps, and it creates the sound of the interval of an Augmented Fourth, the Tritone, such as C-Sharp to G, or A to E-Flat.
The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
The Interval of a Sixth comes in four different forms too: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. The Interval of a Minor Sixth is simply a combination of an interval of a Perfect Fifth and an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of eight continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Minor Sixth
The Interval of a Major Sixth is one Half Step further than an interval of a Minor Sixths. It is simply a combination of an interval of a Minor Sixth plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or an interval of a Perfect Fifth plus an interval of a Major Second/Whole Step, or, the combination of nine continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Major Sixth For the reason of being less frequently used, the Intervals of an Augmented Sixth and Diminished Sixth can be found later on this page. The Augmented Sixth has one half step more than the Major Sixth, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Minor Seventh. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with four skips in between, such as C to A-Sharp, or B-Flat to G-Sharp. The Diminished Sixth has one half step less than the Minor Sixth, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Perfect Fifth. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with four skips in between, such as C-Sharp to A-Flat, or F-Sharp to D-Flat.
The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
The Interval of a Seventh comes in four different forms too: Major, Minor, Augmented, and Diminished. The Interval of a Minor Seventh is simply a combination of an interval of a Major Sixth plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or an interval of a Perfect Fifth plus an interval of a Minor Third, or, the combination of ten continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Minor Seventh
The Interval of a Major Seventh is one Half Step further than an interval of a Minor Seventh. It is simply a combination of an interval of a Major Sixth plus an interval of a Major Second/Whole Step, or an interval of a Perfect Fifth plus an interval of a Major Third, or, the combination of eleven continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Major Seventh For the reason of being less frequently used, the Intervals of an Augmented Seventh and Diminished Seventh can be found later on this page. The Augmented Seventh has one half step more than the Major Seventh, and it creates the sound of the interval of an Octave. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with five skips in between, such as C to B-Sharp, or B-Flat to A-Sharp. The Diminished Seventh has one half step less than the Minor Seventh, and it creates the sound of the interval of a Major Sixth. But as a written interval, it uses two letter names with five skips in between, such as C-Sharp to B-Flat, or F-Sharp to E-Flat.
The Interval of an Octave is one of the most frequently used intervals. The two tones/pitches/notes have a ratio of 2:1, high to low, in physical sounds. The two notes on written music have the same Letter Names. It is simply a combination of an interval of a Major Seventh, plus an interval of a Minor Second/Half Step, or, the combination of twelve continuous Half Steps.
The Interval of a Perfect Octave Yes, there are Intervals of an Augmented Octave and Diminished Octave in written music as well and they can be found down below. While the Augmented Octave is one half step more than the Perfect Octave, the Diminished Octave is one half step less than the Perfect Octave. In written music, they would use the same letter name, plus the accidentals to add or subtract the half steps.
The following keyboard graph can be used to determine the intervals easily.
The Augmented Intervals are also created to give composers more tools in creating more colorful music in compositions. The two tones/pitches/notes in all Augmented Intervals have One Half Step further distance than the Perfect or Major Intervals. See the following examples for the changes. And, there is an interval of an Augmented Unison/Prime.
The Augmented Intervals
The Diminished Intervals are created to give composers more tools in creating more colorful music in compositions. The two tones/pitches/notes in all Diminished Intervals have One Half Step closer distance than the Perfect or Minor Intervals. See the following examples for the changes. Keep in mind that the Unison/Prime is the smallest interval; therefore, there is NO Diminished Unison/Prime.
The Diminished Intervals In more contemporary music, there are more uses of the intervals beyond and octave, such as intervals of ninth, tenth, eleventh, and even thirteenth. Many of the samples of these intervals can be found in jazz music easily.
The next topic in this Music Theory site is all about the "Diatonic and Chromatic Half Steps." You may want to review the previous pages. Thank you for reading!
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