September is a GREAT month to start our Monthly Musicianship (“M-ship”) series, starting with INTERESTING INTERVALS! For the next 12 months, I’ll briefly define the interval, and include a 1-page freebie download with links so you can HEAR what that interval sounds like on its own, and in a song. First some quick background:
- INTERVALS are the Building Blocks of MUSIC. An INTERVAL is the distance between 2 notes. Pitch is the sound we hear. Notes are how we write those sounds. When you sing from one pitch to the next, you’re singing an INTERVAL.
- HALF-STEPS (or semi-tones) are the Building Blocks of INTERVALS. The smallest interval in Western music is a ½ step or minor 2nd (m2) or semi-tone. There are 12 half-steps in a diatonic scale (a scale with 5 whole steps and 2 half steps).
- The QUALITY of an interval can be either Major, Minor, Perfect, Augmented, or Diminished.
- MAJOR or MINOR intervals are 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th.
- PERFECT, AUGMENTED, or DIMINISHTED intervals are Unison, 4th, 5th, and 8ve.
- A MINOR interval is ½ step smaller than a MAJOR interval (2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th).
- A DIMINISHED interval is ½ step smaller than a PERFECT interval (Unison, 4th, 5th, 8ve).
