Stop 1 of 6
Intervals: the distance between notes
Number, quality and the shape of each interval on the neck.
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Stop 1 of 6
Number, quality and the shape of each interval on the neck.
Welcome to Harmony City. So far you have played chords, scales and progressions mostly from memory or by ear. Here you will discover why they sound the way they do, and it all starts with the smallest building block in music: the distance between two notes. By the end of this stop you will be able to name any distance precisely and find it on the neck without a second thought.
Listen to these two pairs of notes. Both start on C, but the second note lands in different places:
The first sounds close and sweet; the second more open and hollow, like a distant trumpet. That distance is called an , and every interval has a character of its own that your ear already recognises even if it doesn’t know the name yet.
There are two ways to sound an interval:
The number of an interval comes from counting note names, including the first and the last. Sharps and flats do not count at this step.
That is why C–E and C–E♭ are both thirds: the letters are the same. What changes is the quality, which you will see in a moment.
Here are all the numbers from C on the staff. Each pair sounds together:
On the staff you can also see the number: a third goes line to line (or space to space), a fifth jumps two lines, a second moves from a line to the neighbouring space.
Once you know the number, the gives you the exact size. There are two families:
A handy trick: every interval from the tonic of a major scale up to one of its degrees is major or perfect. C–E (degree 3 of C major) is a major third; C–A (degree 6), a major sixth.
| Interval | Symbol | Half steps | From C | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unison | P1 | 0 | C | the same note |
| Minor second | m2 | 1 | D♭ | rub, suspense |
| Major second | M2 | 2 | D | a scale step |
| Minor third | m3 | 3 | E♭ | melancholy |
| Major third | M3 | 4 | E | bright |
| Perfect fourth | P4 | 5 | F | a call, open |
| Tritone | A4 / d5 | 6 | F♯ / G♭ | unstable |
| Perfect fifth | P5 | 7 | G | solid, hollow |
| Minor sixth | m6 | 8 | A♭ | sweet and sad |
| Major sixth | M6 | 9 | A | warm |
| Minor seventh | m7 | 10 | B♭ | bluesy |
| Major seventh | M7 | 11 | B | tense, shiny |
| Octave | P8 | 12 | C | the same note, higher |
See on the keyboard the difference between a major and a minor third: just one half step separates light from shade.
Now it’s your turn. Pick an interval and a starting note and listen:
String 6, Fret 1: F2 · ♭7 · Scale tone
| Interval | Abbreviation | Semitones |
|---|---|---|
| unison | P1 (1) | 0 |
| minor second | m2 (♭2) | 1 |
| major second | M2 (2) | 2 |
| minor third | m3 (♭3) | 3 |
| major third | M3 (3) | 4 |
| perfect fourth | P4 (4) | 5 |
| augmented fourth (tritone) | A4 (♯4) | 6 |
| perfect fifth | P5 (5) | 7 |
| minor sixth | m6 (♭6) | 8 |
| major sixth | M6 (6) | 9 |
| minor seventh | m7 (♭7) | 10 |
| major seventh | M7 (7) | 11 |
| octave | P8 (8) | 12 |
Intervals can stretch or shrink by one more half step:
The most important case is the : six half steps, exactly half an octave. Depending on spelling it has two names:
They sound equally tense: both are six half steps. This happens to many intervals. C–D♯ (augmented second) and C–E♭ (minor third) are both three half steps and the same piano key, but they are spelled differently because they play different roles in the music. They are intervals.
Because the name tells you the function. In C minor, E♭ is the third of the chord (a minor third). In a melody that climbs chromatically from D to E, the note in between is written D♯: an augmented second above C, a passing note. When you analyse chords in the next stops, spelling intervals correctly will tell you at a glance what each note is doing. That is why in this course you will say A4 when the upper note behaves like a fourth and d5 when it behaves like a fifth.
On guitar, intervals are shapes: hand patterns that work at any fret. Here are all the intervals from A (string 6, fret 5) up to the octave. Press Play to hear them in order:
String 6, Fret 5: A2 · 1 · Scale tone
The rules that come out of that map are easy to remember (for neighbouring strings outside the 3–2 pair):
Now play the same shapes as double stops. Hear how the colour of each pair changes:
All neighbouring guitar strings are a perfect fourth apart… except one pair: between string 3 (G) and string 2 (B) there is a major third. So whenever a shape crosses from string 3 to string 2, the note on string 2 moves one fret towards the bridge.
String 6, Fret 5: A2 · 1 · Scale tone
The same happens with the octave: from string 4 to string 2 it is no longer two frets up, but three:
String 4, Fret 7: A3 · 1 · Scale tone
You always return to A (string 6, fret 5) before each leap. While you play, say the name: “major second, major third, perfect fourth…”.
Once it flows, move the starting note to string 6, fret 3 (G): the shapes are identical; only the sound changes.
Goal: Play the whole ladder naming each interval out loud, without stopping, at 80 BPM.
Goal: Find the major third, fifth and octave of five different notes on string 3 in under 5 seconds each.
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