Music Intervals

Why do you need to know about music intervals?

• Recognizing intervals makes it easier to learn to read music and to sight read.

• Understanding intervals also makes it easier to analyze the music, and to understand the harmony of a piece.

• And knowing the patterns of the intervals makes it easier even to memorize a piece, or understanding the make-up of a chord.

• Good news is- it is also very easy to learn, especially for pianists!!!

Have a look at this keyboard:



Choose a key. This is one (1). The key next to it is 2. The interval from 1 to 2 is called….. A second!!

Choose another. F for example- from F to A is the interval of 1-2-3...a third!! Yes!

White key music intervals:

Unison: From 1 to 1 (One note to another exactly the same note)

Second: From 1 to 2

Third: From 1 to 3

Fourth: From 1 to 4

Fifth: From 1 to 5

Sixth: From 1 to 6

Seventh: From 1 to 7

Octave: From 1 to 8 (The same note an octave higher or lower.)

Ninth: From 1 to 9

Tenth: From 1 to 10, etc.

This is all very easy, and you can quickly learn this as you play the piano. Practice playing and saying the interval names out loud.

Harmonic and Melodic Intervals:

The two notes of the music intervals are played either simultaneously, which is called a harmonic interval, or one at a time which is called a melodic interval:

Interval sizes:

Not all intervals are the same. That is, they don't come only in different sizes, but in different "qualities" as well.

We have major, minor, augmented, diminished and perfect to choose from. No- you can’t choose! There are rules:

• Unison, fourths, fifths and octaves are either perfect*, augmented or diminished.
• Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths are called either major (big)or minor (small).

  When using sharps or flats, they can also become augmented (extra big!), or diminished (extra small).

Seconds are also what we call steps. On the piano keyboard it is easy to see that some steps have a black key in between, and some don’t. There are whole steps with a black key in between, (or two black keys with a white in between) and half steps which is the smallest step on a piano. Whole steps are the major seconds. Half steps are the minor seconds.

Thirds are either two whole steps, a major third- which by the way gives the color major that can sound a bit “happy” in a chord! Or one and a half step, which is a minor third and gives the “sad” sound in a chord.

All the fourths on the white keys on the piano keyboard (or notes without sharps or flats) are ALL perfect, EXCEPT between F and B.The fourth between F and B is "bigger" than normal, it is augmented. This interval that is 3 whole steps is also called a Tritone.

All the fifths on the white keys are perfect, EXCEPT the fifth between B and F, which is smaller than the others, it is diminished. This fifth is also 3 whole steps, and is also called a "Tritone". It sounds the same as the augmented fourth, since it is actually the same interval between the tones!

Sixths are simple to figure out if they are major or minor, just by “flipping over” or inverting to a third! In this example the C is moved an octave lower. If the third is major, the "inverted" sixth is the opposite; minor.

This works the same with sevenths; flip over (invert)a minor seventh, and you get a major second, and the other way around.

Still easy? Ready for some more?

We can make these “natural” (no sharps or flats) music intervals even bigger or smaller by using sharps and flats!

So, a second, third, sixth and seventh can become: minor, major, augmented or diminished, but never perfect.

A unison, octave, fourth and fifth can become: perfect, augmented, diminished (or double-), but never major or minor.

To sum it up:

1. The shapes and patterns of the music intervals are easy to learn to recognize. Practice the intervals on the piano as you say the interval names out loud.

   Tip:

   Observe how the odd numbered intervals; thirds, fifths and sevenths have an “even look”; space-space notes, or line-line notes.

   Whereas the even numbered intervals; seconds, fourths, sixths and octaves, have an “odd look”; line-space notes or space-line notes.

   This little distinction makes them easier to recognize without counting!

2. To be able to analyze the music intervals you learned that the sizes are (on the white keys, or using notes without any sharps and flats):
   Unison: Perfect

   Second: Major or minor.

   Third: Major or minor.

   Fourth: Perfect, except between F and B (augmented).

   Fifth: Perfect, except between B and F (diminished).

   Sixth: Major or minor.

   Seventh: Major or minor.

   Octave: Perfect.

3. By adding accidentals (sharps and flats) you can change the size of an interval. For example; perfect becomes augmented when making it larger, or diminished when making it smaller. Minor becomes diminished when making it smaller and major becomes augmented when making it bigger. (Yes- you can even make them double augmented and double diminished!)

For more information on music intervals, have a look at my video lesson explaining simple intervals and how to play them here.

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