BazzLow
ENIT
Module 4 · Lesson 2

Major, minor and perfect

Name the 12 intervals within an octave by number and quality.

Before this lesson: 4.1 What an interval is

The number of an interval is only half of its name. The other half is its quality, and together they name every interval in the octave.

Perfect, major and minor

  • Perfect intervals: the unison, the 4th, the 5th and the octave. They have no major or minor form.
  • Major and minor intervals: the 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th. The minor version is one semitone smaller than the major.

Together they are the interval qualities. Writing a quality and a number gives a short name: P5 is a perfect 5th, M3 a major 3rd, m3 a minor 3rd.

The 12 intervals in the octave

The 12 intervals within the octave, measured up from C.
SemitonesNameShortFrom C
0perfect unisonP1C–C
1minor 2ndm2C–D♭
2major 2ndM2C–D
3minor 3rdm3C–E♭
4major 3rdM3C–E
5perfect 4thP4C–F
6augmented 4th / diminished 5th (tritone)A4 / d5C–F♯ / C–G♭
7perfect 5thP5C–G
8minor 6thm6C–A♭
9major 6thM6C–A
10minor 7thm7C–B♭
11major 7thM7C–B
12perfect octaveP8C–C

The two names in the 6-semitone row are two spellings of the same size. Lesson 4.4 explains them.

Bass neck, frets 0–12The A string from C at fret 3 up to fret 15, each fret labelled with its interval above C: P1, m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, A4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7, P8.A23456789101112131415P1m2M2m3M3P4A4P5m6M6m7M7P8
The A string from C at fret 3 up to fret 15, each fret labelled with its interval above C: P1, m2, M2, m3, M3, P4, A4, P5, m6, M6, m7, M7, P8.

A handy reference

From the first note of a major scale, every other scale note is a major or perfect interval: M2, M3, P4, P5, M6, M7, P8. To name an interval, compare it with the major scale of its lower note. The Degrees view of the diagrams uses the same idea: ♭3 is a minor 3rd above the root, 3 a major 3rd, and so on.

Try it

From C at fret 3 on the A string, play each interval of the table on the same string (frets 3 to 15). Say the short name of each.

New terms