Interval = the distance between 2 notes
Melodic Intervals
Harmonic Intervals
DIATONIC INTERVALS (as they occur in the major scale)……….
Perfect Intervals: 1, 4, 5, 8
Major Intervals: 2, 3, 6, 7
ALTERING INTERVALS:
CHROMATIC INTERVALS (Altered Intervals) ……
Major Intervals: 2, 3, 6, 7
Lower major interval a half-step = becomes minor; lower another ½-step = becomes diminished…Raise ½ step, becomes Augmented
Diminished
(Example = 3rd: C-Ebb
(Example = 6th: C-Abb
Minor
Major
C-Eb
C-Ab
C-E
C-A
Augmented
C-E#)
C-A#)
Perfect Intervals: 1, 4, 5, 8
Lower perfect interval a half-step = becomes diminished ………
Diminished
(Example = 5th: C-Gb
Perfect
C-G
Raise ½ step, becomes Augmented
Augmented
C-G#)
**When altering intervals, the “alphabet interval” must always remain
constant. For example, an “alphabet 5th” is ALWAYS C-G or F-C etc. This
is true EVEN if the Perfect 5th is made smaller to become a diminished 5th
(must STILL be some kind of C-G…so, C-Gb OR C#-G … CANNOT be C-F#
or Db-G which would make interval become a 4th etc.)
Ear-Training Tricks
For intervals
Major 2nd: Melodic: “Do-Re-Mi” (like beginning of Major Scale)
Harmonic: “Chopsticks”
Minor 2nd: Melodic: “Jaws”
Major 3rd: Melodic, ascending: “Kum Bah Yah” or “Major Triad”
Melodic, descending: “Doorbell – Ding Dong”
Minor 3rd: Melodic: “Minor Triad”
Perfect 4th: Melodic: “Here Comes the Bride”, “Christmas Tree” or “Bingo”
Augmented 4th or Diminished 5th
(A4th or D5ths are called “TRITONES”)
Very Dissonant sounding (“Tritones” in the Middle Ages were not
allowed in music because they thought this interval represented evil)
Perfect 5th: Melodic: “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”
Major 6th: Melodic:“NBC” or “My Bonni Lies Over the Ocean” or “Goldberg”
Minor 6th: Melodic, descending: “Love Story”
Major 7th:
Very “dissonant” sounding. Also, the 7th scale degree is a LEADING TONE because it sounds as if
it’s LEADING UP TO or RESOLVING up to the 8th scale degree (or tonic).
Perfect 8th or Octave: Melodic: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Names of Scale Degrees
(Example C Major):
C
D
E
F
G
A
B
st
nd
rd
th
th
th
th
C
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8th
Do
Re
Mi
Fa
Sol
La
Ti
Do
Tonic Supertonic Mediant Subdominant Dominant Submediant Leading Tonic
Tone
MINI TEST
What are the Perfect Intervals within a Major Scale?
_______________________________________________
What are the Major Intervals within a Major Scale?
_______________________________________________
What are the 2 possible ways to make this Perfect 4th into a diminished 4th?
C-F = Perfect 4th
__-__ = Diminished 4th
__-__ = Diminished 4th
What are the 2 possible ways to make this Perfect 5th into a diminished 5th?
C-G = Perfect 5th
__-__ = Diminished 5th
__-__ = Diminished 5th
What are the 2 possible ways to make this Perfect 5th into an augmented 5th?
C-G = Perfect 5th
__-__ = Augmented 5th
__-__ = Augmented 5th
What is a TRITONE above C? (There are 2 possible spellings):
C - ________
C - ________