Music Intervals Flashcards
What is an interval
An interval is distance between two notes
What is a melodic interval
A melodic interval occurs when the notes of an interval are played one after the other
What is a harmonic interval
A harmonic interval occurs when the notes of the interval are played at the same time
How do you determine the number of the interval
The number of the interval is determined by counting the letter names from the lowest note to the highest note
Name the perfect intervals
The perfect intervals are the intervals of unison, 4th, 5th and the octave
Name the major intervals
The major intervals are the intervals of a 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th
What determines an interval to be a major or perfect interval
Take the bottom note of the interval as a tonic of a major scale. If the upper note of the interval is a member of the scale of the lower note the interval will either be a perfect or a major
Define a minor interval
A minor interval is one semi-tone smaller than a major interval
Which are the only intervals that can be considered minor
Only the 2nd’s 3rd’s and 7th’s can be considered minor intervals
How do you determine if an interval is minor
Take the bottom note of the interval as a tonic of a major scale. If the upper note is a semi-tone smaller than as a member of the major scale of the bottom note than it may be considered to be a minor interval
How are intervals identified
Intervals are always identified by using the lowest note as the tonic
How is a major interval converted into a minor interval
A major interval can be made minor by lowering the top note or raising the bottom note by one semi-tone
What is an augmented interval
An augmented interval is one semi-tone larger than a perfect or a major interval. In other words, the notes of an augmented interval are one semi-tone further apart than the notes of a perfect or major interval
What is a diminished interval
A diminished interval is one semi-tone smaller than either a perfect or minor interval. In other words the notes of a diminished interval are a semi-tone closer together that a major or perfect interval
how can a perfect interval be converted into a diminished interval
A perfect interval can be converted into a diminished interval by lowering the top note or raising the bottom note by a semi-tone.
How is a minor interval converted into a diminished interval
A minor interval is converted into a diminished interval by lowering the top note or raising the bottom note by a semi-tone
How do you name an interval when the lowest note of the interval is not the tonic of a major key
- Lower the bottom note to the note that is the tonic of existing key
- Name the new interval
- Move the lower note back up to its original pitch
What are the two ways to invert an interval
- Write the lower note above the upper note
2. Write the upper note below the lower note
What happens to a major interval when it becomes inverted
When a major interval is inverted it becomes a minor interval
What happens to a minor interval when it becomes inverted
When a minor interval is inverted it becomes a major interval
What happens to an augmented interval when it is inverted
When an augmented interval is inverted it becomes a diminished interval
What happens to a diminished interval when it is inverted
When a diminished interval is inverted it becomes an augmented interval
What happens to a perfect interval when it is inverted
When a perfect interval is inverted it remains a perfect interval
How do you write an interval below a given note
- Determine the bottom note of the interval by counting down the required number of notes from the given note
- Identify the interval
- Adjust the bottom note to obtain the required interval
