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Form+II+Composition Cycle+1+Intervals Info+sheet+2021

The document provides an overview of musical intervals, including how they are labeled and identified. Intervals are the distance between two pitches, measured in semitones. They are identified by both quality (perfect, major, minor etc.) and number. The document describes methods for identifying intervals including semitone count, letter count and white-note count.

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22 views

Form+II+Composition Cycle+1+Intervals Info+sheet+2021

The document provides an overview of musical intervals, including how they are labeled and identified. Intervals are the distance between two pitches, measured in semitones. They are identified by both quality (perfect, major, minor etc.) and number. The document describes methods for identifying intervals including semitone count, letter count and white-note count.

Uploaded by

superziyan123
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Form II Music

Cycle 1: Intervals
Overview
Our ears have developed to recognise specific pitches.
We hear pitches as the same, or as higher or lower than each other.
The distance – or difference in register (highness or lowness) – between two pitches is
called an interval.
In the Western system, intervals are measured using equal units called semitones (S). You
will probably be most familiar with semitones from the piano keyboard.

Labelling
Intervals have two labels, a quality and a number. The number is the general distance,
which is made specific by the quality.
We use the following qualities and numbers to identify intervals:

Qualities numbers
standard perfect (P), major (M), minor(m) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
advanced augmented (+), diminished (o) 9, 10, 11, etc.

The bigger the number, the bigger the interval. Note in this course, numbers greater than 8
are not addressed.
‘Major’ is a larger version of 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths, and ‘augmented’ even more so.
‘Minor’ is a smaller version of 2nds, 3rds, 6ths and 7ths, and ‘diminished’ even more so.
‘Perfect’ is the basic version of unisons (1sts), 4ths, 5ths and octaves (8ths); bigger
versions are ‘augmented’, smaller versions ‘diminished’.
When writing interval labels, (a) use the shorthand indicated in the above table, and (b)
indicate the quality first, number second. e.g. An interval which is major and a third is M3.

Identification
Western music theory has been around for a long time and can be quite complex.
With that in mind, there are a number of different approaches to working out intervals. Try
them all to see which best suits you.

Semitone Count
This method might be ‘low tech’, but it gives both quality and number in any situation.
1. Look at a piano keyboard and note the two pitches in question.

3. Count the number of semitones between the pitches.


(a) Start with either pitch. (b) Call your starting pitch zero (0).
(c) Count all black and white notes between and including the given pitches.
In the above example, there are seven semitone moves.
4. To convert semitone count into an interval label, refer to the table below.

Hopefully you won’t need it for long!

semitone count interval (shorthand) interval (longhand)


standard 0 P1 perfect unison
1 m2 or S minor second or semitone
2 M2 or T major second or tone
3 m3 minor third
4 M3 major third
5 P4 perfect fourth
7 P5 perfect fifth
8 m6 minor sixth
9 M6 major sixth
10 m7 minor seventh
11 M7 major seventh
12 P8 perfect octave
advanced 6 +4 or o5 tritone; augmented fourth or
diminished fifth, depending on
letters/position
any, dependent + …, o … other augmented & diminished
on letters/ intervals
position

So for the above example, seven semitone moves = P5, i.e. a perfect fifth.
Letter Count
This is a way of working out interval number (though not quality) from letter names.
Note letter count only works (a) within an octave, and (b) if you know the relative position
of the pitches (i.e. which is higher or lower).
1. Consider the letter names and position of the pitches in question. The keyboard might
help with this.

Ab

C
2. Work out the letters between the pitches.

Ab

C D E F G
3. Now count the number of letters. This is your interval number.
So in the above example, the interval is a 6th (6).

White-Note Count
This is an easy method for identifying the interval number (though not quality) between
white notes only.
1. Note the two relevant pitches.

2. Now count the number of white notes between and including these pitches. This is your
interval number.
So the example here is a 5th (5).

Activity
Play through the musical examples in this information sheet on your keyboard.

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