Topic outline

  • Welcome!

    With this course you can practise:

    • Perfect intervals 1, 4, 5, and 8
    • Some diminished and augmented intervals

    Recommended to study before this course:

    • Intervals 2A
  • Interval qualities

    The name of any interval is qualified using the terms perfect (P), major (M), minor (m), augmented (A), and diminished (d). This is called its interval quality. (Wikipedia)

    With this course you can practise perfect intervals: prime, fourth, fifth and octave.

    2 3 6 7

    1 4 5 8

      augmented 

      augmented 

    MAJOR

    PERFECT

    MINOR

    diminished

    diminished


    Nice to know. Intervals can be classified into two groups:

    • 2, 3, 6, 7 are usually major or minor (sometimes also diminished or augmented)
    • 1, 4, 5, 8 are usually perfect (sometimes also diminished or augmented)

  • Diatonic 1, 4, 5 and 8

    All diatonic primes and octaves are perfect.

    Almost all diatonic fourth and fifth are perfect. They include major seconds and one minor second.

    Exceptions: F-B and B-F

     F-B is augmented 4th (includes only major seconds). It's called tritonus.


    B-F is diminished 5th (includes 2 minor seconds).


  • 1, 4, 5, 8 and accidentals

    Perfect, diminished, augmented

    • If the upper note of a perfect interval is lowered or the lower note is raised it becomes diminished
    • If the upper note of a perfect interval is raised or the lower note is lowered it becomes augmented

  • Listen: Perfect intervals and tritonus

    Tips for recognition:

    • Perfect fourth
      • Amazing Grace
    • Perfect fifth
      • Twinkle, twinkle
    • Tritonus
      • dissonance
      • The Simpsons