In the process of learning any musical instrument, you may have come across the concept of "intervals", and wondered what they are and why they are important. The fact is that intervals are a big part of the basis needed to understand music theory and train your ear as a musician. I will explain what intervals are, why they are helpful for understanding music theory, and how you can use them to level up as a musician. The simple answer is that intervals describe the distance between any two notes. Unfortunately, to have a full understanding of the concept, it's a little more complicated than that.
Intervals include a number, and a quality. Assuming the interval is within an octave, this number will be between one and eight. There are also intervals that are larger than an octave, which are called compound intervals. The interval's number is determined by how many notes away the higher note is from the lower note based on a scale. For example, if the bottom note in the interval is a C, and the top one is an E, you can count how many notes it takes to get from C to E in the C major scale. E is the third note of the C major scale, which makes this interval a third. The quality of the interval could be major, minor, augmented, diminished, or perfect. You can figure out the quality of the interval based on where the higher note in the interval fits compared to the major or minor scale of the lower note. For example, with our C to E interval from before, we know that E is a part of the C major scale, which makes it a major third. If the top note was an Eb, it would be a part of the C minor scale, making the interval a minor third. An augmented interval is one half step bigger than a major or perfect interval, and a diminished interval is one half step smaller. There is also a perfect interval. Perfect intervals are the same in a major or minor scale. For reference, the only intervals that can be perfect are fourths and fifths. For example, if our interval is C to F, this would be a perfect fourth. This is because the note F exists in both the C major and C minor scales. If the interval were C to F#, this is one half step bigger than C to F, making it an augmented fourth. And if it were C to Fb, it would be a diminished fourth. This may all seem a little overwhelming at first, so don't worry or over analyze it if it doesn't make any sense yet. I would recommend trying to relate as much as you can to whatever instrument you are learning, so that you have something to connect it to. As you start to make sense of this, it will make other music theory concepts begin to make more sense. For example, if you play a chordal instrument, this will help you learn how to understand why certain chords are used in certain keys, figure out chords by ear, and figure out your own chords based on the notes. It will also help you gain a deeper understanding of the circle of fifths and how to use it. The other very powerful use to intervals relates to ear training. As you are learning about the theory of intervals, I would highly recommend practicing ear training. You can use the site tonedear.com, and also try to figure out your favorite songs by ear using your new knowledge of intervals. I hope you have gained a little more insight into what intervals are, and how to use them to improve as a musician. For me, intervals have helped immensely as I have developed my musicianship over time, and I think they are a very powerful tool to have in your musical toolbox.
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Alani SugarAlani Sugar is a young fiddle and mandolin player from Maryland. She has been involved in the region's music scene since she was 15 years old, and has the attention of musicians and music lovers alike in the area. She currently works as a professional musician and teaches fiddle and mandolin lessons online via Skype Archives
January 2024
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