Intervals (naming Jumps)
It is useful to have names for all of the jumps you can make between pitches
- called ‘intervals’ by musicians.
The traditional name for a step upwards of 3 semitones is a “minor third”
A step upwards in pitch of 1 semitone
Each of the above upward steps has a corresponding downward step or interval.
(0 is here assumed to be the lowest note in the octave.)
A step downwards of a minor third.
(For many purposes octave equivalence will apply, and shading will be immaterial)
A step downwards of a semitone
one way of showing a leap of a tritone
The traditional name for a step upwards of 4 semitones is a “major third”
A step upwards in pitch of two semitones a “tone, or whole tone”
A step downwards of a major third.
(For many purposes octave equivalence will apply, and shading will be immaterial)
A step downwards of a tone
A step upwards of 7 semitones is traditionally called a “perfect fifth”
Interestingly, there is another way to make a step up of two semitones. This will turn out to be very useful when considering alternative interpretations of harmonic paths
A step downwards of a perfect 5th. (For many purposes octave equivalence will apply, and shading will be immaterial)
A step downwards of a tone (where major /minor relationships are being emphasised over scale-based movement)