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Learning what intervals are and how they work will begin to demystify music theory for us. This is essential for beginning to understand how chords work, and grasping why certain sounds give us a certain feeling - don't skip this one!
Intervals are a measurement of the distance between two notes.
Just as there are 12 notes on the note wheel, there are 12 intervals we need to learn.
First of all, let's have a look at all the intervals laid out on one string.
Note that an interval is always a group of two notes. One note by itself can't be an interval. So in the chart above, we would be defining the intervals as compared to the root note on the far left. For example, the 1 and the b3.
We can order these intervals in terms of how many frets apart they are. Here are the names for each:
1 fret apart: Minor Second
2 frets apart: Major Second
3 frets apart: Minor Third
4 frets apart: Major Third
5 frets apart: Perfect Fourth
6 frets apart: Tritone
7 frets apart: Perfect Fifth
8 frets apart: Minor Sixth
9 frets apart: Major Sixth
10 frets apart: Minor Seventh
11 frets apart: Major Seventh
12 frets apart: Octave
As you can see, intervals can be described as either Minor, Major, or Perfect. The tritone and octave are exceptions. You may see the Tritone referred to as a "Flat 5th", as it is in the diagram above.
If an interval has a Minor, it must also have a Major (and vice versa.)
If an interval is Perfect, it doesn't have a Major or Minor variant.
It can be difficult to know where to start when it comes to memorizing intervals, but consider that if you know your Major Scale, you're already more than halfway done.
The major scale is made up of all the Major and Perfect intervals!
We have a Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, Major 7th, and of course, an Octave.
Take a moment to play through the scale while naming the intervals you are playing.
Now we've added in the intervals we missed.
As you can see, they're all the Minor variants of the Major intervals.Â
Now, walk through each of these notes and say the names of the interval as you go along.
It's okay to think of these notes as either Minor or flatted. For example, you may hear "b3" referred to as both a Minor Third, as as a "Flatted 3rd".
Remember that the "b5" is typically referred to as a Tritone, or Flatted 5th. Never a "Minor Fifth".
Every interval has a different sound quality, or feeling attached to them. Try playing some of the intervals simultaneously with the root, and see how they sound.
In time, we want to be able to name all the intervals, and play any of them at will. Remember to use your Major Scale if you've forgotten how to play an interval.
If you can associate a certain feeling to each interval, you can learn to identify them when they come up in a song. This is the foundation of ear training. CLICK HERE to get started learning how to play songs by ear!
All chords are made by stacking together two or more intervals on top of each other. If you've learned your intervals by heart: CLICK HERE to get started learning how chords are constructed!
Or, if you're ready to dive even deeper into intervals, and learn to see them in a whole new way: CLICK HERE to learn about Interval Inversions!
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