A musical interval is the distance between two pitches, either played in sequence (melodic) or simultaneously (harmonic). Intervals are the building blocks of scales, chords, and melodies, and they are essential for understanding how music is constructed and how it functions emotionally and harmonically.
- Link to Half Steps and Whole Steps
- Link to Interval Types
A musical interval is the distance between two pitches.
Intervals can be either melodic (notes played in sequence) or harmonic (notes played simultaneously).
Intervals are crucial for understanding scales, chords, and melody construction.
The smallest interval in Western music is the half step (semitone).
Half Steps and Whole Steps
A half step is the smallest interval between two adjacent notes (e.g., E to F).
E to F is an example of a half step.
C to D and F to G are whole steps; E to F and B to C are half steps.
Interval Types
Common interval types include Major, Minor, Perfect, Augmented, and Diminished.
Unison, 4th, 5th, and Octave are 'perfect' intervals.
A minor interval is one half step smaller than its major counterpart.
Augmented intervals are one half step larger than major/perfect; diminished are one half step smaller than minor/perfect.