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A Guide To Music Intervals: The

Gaps Between The Notes
Written By Dan Farrant Last updated 16th October 2020

Without intervals we wouldn’t have melody chords, or scales. They really are one
of the foundations of music.

In this guide to music intervals, we’re going to cover what intervals are in music
as well as all the different ways to categorise them and name them. But first, let’s
start with what is an interval?

Table of Contents 

What is a Music Interval?

An interval in music is defined as a distance in pitch between any two notes.

The larger the interval between two notes, then the greater the difference in pitch
between the notes.

And vice versa, the smaller the interval between two notes then the smaller the
pitch between the notes.

There are three parts to the way we describe an interval:

The distance of the interval

The type of interval (the interval quality)
Is the interval harmonic or melodic?

Before we talk about those though we’re going to cover the two smallest types of
interval: semitones and tones.

Semitones and Tones (Half Steps and

Whole Steps)
Semitones and tones or half steps and whole steps, are the building blocks of
intervals.

We use different combinations of them to make up all the different types of

scales and chords that make music sound so different.

Semitones: The smallest possible interval

The smallest possible interval (in western music anyway) is a semitone, or in the
US it’s called a half step. A semitone is the very next higher or lower note.

For example, from E to F or from C to C sharp (C#) on a piano keyboard.

Semitone intervals

What are tones (whole steps)?

The word ‘semi’ means half (it’s the same semi that we get semiquaver from
which is ‘half’ of a quaver) so we could think of the word semitone as ‘half a tone’.

A tone or ‘whole step‘, therefore, is an interval of two semitones.

Examples of tones (whole steps)

Names of the Intervals

Now that we know about the two smallest intervals, semitones and tones, we can
start looking at some larger intervals and how we describe them.

We describe intervals using numbers depending on how many letter names of

the musical alphabet there are between the two notes.

For example, the notes C and D are two letter notes apart and so is an interval of
a 2nd.

C – D is a 2nd

But if we look at the notes C and E they are three letter notes apart and so this
interval is a 3rd.

C – E is a 3rd

The notes C to F are four letter notes apart and so would be a 4th.

C – F is a 4th

This just carries on, C to G is five letter notes and so would be a 5th.

C to G is a 5th

C to A is six letter notes and so would be a 6th.

C – A is a 6th

C to B is seven letter notes and so would be a 7th.

C – B is a 7th

Lastly, C to the C above it is eight letter notes and so is an interval of an 8th.

C – C is an octave (8ve)

But we don’t tend to call this interval an 8th and instead we call it an octave or
8ve. They both mean the same thing.

The shape octagon has eight sides and the interval octave is eight notes higher.

What is a Unison Interval?

We can also have intervals that are the same note.

For example, two different instruments might play exactly the same note in a
piece of music.

Unison intervals

This interval is called a unison.

When we write a harmonic unison interval (more on harmonic and melodic

intervals shortly) we write the notes next to each other.

We’ll cover this in the section on harmonic and melodic intervals though.

Interval Quality
Now we’re going to cover the interval quality.

As we don’t just refer to intervals with the number, we also refer to the type of
interval.

I’ll explain why we need to distinguish the interval quality with the example below.

Both of these intervals are a third:

Intervals of a 3rd

In the first example, C to Eb is three letter notes: C – D – Eb and so is a 3rd.

And in the second example, C to E natural is also three letter notes: C – D – E and
so is a third.

We need to distinguish the type of interval (quality) to differentiate between

them both.

What are the Types of Interval Quality?

There are five different types of quality of interval which are:

perfect intervals
major intervals
augmented intervals
minor intervals
diminished intervals

We’ll go into them now and I’ll explain how to know or work out which of these five
types any given interval is.

Before we dive into the first two types of interval, perfect intervals and major
intervals, we’re going to look at the major scale.

Every note in a major scale is either a major interval or a perfect interval (starting
from the tonic note).

Below are all the intervals in a major scale.

Intervals in a major scale

Perfect Intervals
There are three intervals that are what we call perfect intervals:

a perfect 4th
a perfect 5th
a perfect 8ve (or octave)

To be a perfect interval the upper note has to be in the major scale of the lower
note.

If the interval is a 4th, 5th or 8ve and isn’t in the major scale, then it’s not a
perfect interval.

For example C to F# is a 4th but is not a perfect 4th as F# is not in C major scale.

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Side note: C to F# is actually what we’d call an augmented 4th (or tritone) but
more on that shortly.

Below are all the perfect intervals:

Perfect intervals

Next we’ll look at the other intervals in a major scale which are major intervals.

Major Intervals
There are four intervals that are called major intervals:

a major 2nd
a major 3rd
a major 6th
a major 7th

So if the upper note of an interval is in the major scale of the lower note (and it’s
not a 4th, 5th or 8ve) then it will be a major interval.

When answering questions about intervals you should always work out the
number of the interval first by using the lower note as number one and counting
how many letter notes there are to the higher note.

Then, if the upper note is in the major scale of the lower note you know that it is
going to be either a major interval or a perfect interval.

If it’s a 4th, 5th or an 8ve, then it will be a perfect interval, if it’s another interval
then it will be a major interval.

Here’s C major scale with the major intervals marked:

Major intervals

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This is the case for every major scale, not just C major.

If the lower note is the tonic and the upper note is in the major scale, it will always
either be a major or perfect interval.

Minor Intervals
If we take any of the major intervals we looked at above and make them smaller
by one semitone (half step) then they now are minor intervals.

For example, if we took C to E which is a major 3rd and flattened the E to make it
an Eb, it now becomes a minor 3rd.

Major 3rd and minor 3rd

Because there are only four major intervals there are also only four minor
intervals possible which are:

minor 2nds
minor 3rds
minor 6ths
minor 7ths

Here is F major scale but with the 2nd, 3rd, 6ths and 7th notes flattened to
become minor intervals.

Minor intervals

So to recap:

If the upper note is in the major scale of the lower note it will be either a
major or perfect interval
If it’s in the major scale and it’s a 4th, 5th or an 8ve then it will be a perfect
interval
If it’s in the major scale and is a 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 7th then it will be a major
interval
If it’s a semitone lower than a major interval then it will be a minor interval

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Augmented Intervals
An interval becomes augmented when we extend a major or perfect interval by
one semitone (half step) without changing the letter name.

So if we took a major second like F to G and made the G a G#, then we’ve made
the interval wider by one semitone and so it’s now an augmented 2nd.

Major 2nd and augmented 2nd

It’s the same with perfect intervals, for example, the interval F to C is a perfect 5th
but if we make it F to C# (widening the interval) then it’s now an augmented 5th.

Perfect 5th and augmented 5th

So here is F major scale again but with all the notes raised by one semitone and
they’re now all augmented intervals.

Augmented intervals

Hopefully, you’re wondering what happens if we flatten a perfect interval by one

semitone.

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If we do that then we have made the next quality of interval, a diminished

interval.

Diminished Intervals
If we flatten any of the three perfect intervals – 4ths, 5ths or 8ves by a semitone,
they don’t become minor, they become diminished intervals.

Let’s take the two notes A and D which is a perfect 4th.

If we were to flatten the D to make it a Db it would now become a diminished 4th.

Perfect 4th and diminished 4th

We can also flatten minor intervals by a semitone and they too become
diminished.

For example, E to D is a minor 7th, but if we make the D one semitone lower to a
Db, it then becomes a diminished 7th.

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