All interval names + all intervals in semitones

Tips & Tricks
1

MAIN INTERVAL NAMES :

( The intervals within one octave )

P1 : ( perfect unison ) = 0 semitones

d2 : ( diminshed second ) = 0 semitones

m2 : ( minor second ) = 1 semitone

A1 : ( augmented unison ) = 1 semitone

M2 : ( Major second ) = 2 semitones

d3 : ( diminished third ) = 2 semitones

m3 : ( minor third ) = 3 semitones

A2 : ( augmented second ) = 3 semitones

M3 : ( Major third ) = 4 semitones

d4 : ( diminished fourth ) = 4 semitones

P4 : ( perfect fourth ) = 5 semitones

A3 : ( augmented third ) = 5 semitones

aug4 : ( augmented fourth ) = 6 semitones

dim5 : ( diminished fifth ) = 6 semitones

P5 : ( perfect fifth ) = 7 semitones

d6 : ( diminished sixth ) = 7 semitones

m6 : ( minor sixth ) = 8 semitones

A5 : ( augmented fifth ) = 8 semitones

M6 : ( Major sixth ) = 9 semitones

dim7 : ( diminished seventh ) = 9 semitones

m7 : ( minor seventh ) = 10 semitones

A6 : ( augmented sixth ) = 10 semitones

M7 : ( Major seventh ) = 11 semitones

d8 : ( diminished octave ) = 11 semitones

P8 : ( perfect octave ) = 12 semitones

A7 : ( augmented seventh ) = 12 semitones

COMPOUND INTERVAL NAMES :

( names of intervals which span more than one octave )

d9 : ( diminished ninth ) = 12 semitones

m9 : ( minor ninth ) = 13 semitones

A8 : ( augmented octave ) = 13 semitones

M9 : ( Major ninth ) = 14 semitones

d10 : ( diminished tenth ) = 14 semitones

m10 : ( minor tenth ) = 15 semitones

A9 : ( augmented ninth ) = 15 semitones

M10 : ( Major tenth ) = 16 semitones

d11 : ( diminished eleventh ) = 16 semitones

P11 : ( perfect eleventh ) = 17 semitones

A10 : ( augmented tenth ) = 17 semitones

d12 : ( diminished twelfth ) = 18 semitones

A11 : ( augmented eleventh ) = 18 semitones

P12 : ( perfect twelfth, tritave ) = 19 semitones

d13 : ( diminished 13th ) = 19 semitones

m13 : ( minor thirteenth ) = 20 semitones

A12 : ( augmented twelfth ) = 20 semitones

M13 : ( major thirteenth ) = 21 semitones

d14 : ( diminished fourteenth ) = 21 semitones

m14 : ( minor fourteenth ) = 22 semitones

A13 : ( augmented thirteenth ) = 22 semitones

M14 : ( Major fourteenth ) = 23 semitones

d15 : ( diminished fifteenth ) = 23 semitones

P15 : ( perfect fifteenth, double octave ) = 24 semitones

A14 : ( augmented fourteenth ) = 24 semitones

A15 : ( augmented fifteenth ) = 25 semitones

M17 : ( major seventeenth ) = 28 semitones

  • Stop -

Melodic intervals occur sequentially.

Harmonic intervals occur simultaneously.

Compound intervals are intervals that span more than one octave.

Simple intervals are equal to or less than one octave in distance.

An augmented fourth ( or diminished fifth ) is called a tritone because it encompasses three whole steps.

C up to G is a ‘fifth’ because it encompasses five letter names ( C D E F G ).

C down to G is a fourth because it encompasses four letter names ( C B A G ).

Interval inversions : When the top member of an interval is moved to the octave below the bottom member ( or vice versa ), the interval is said to be inverted.

A major interval contracted or decreased by a half step ( semitone ) is called minor.

A major or perfect interval expanded or increased by a half step ( semitone ) is called augmented.

A minor or perfect ineterval contracted or decreased by a half step ( semitone ) is called diminished.

2

Interval inversions : When the top member of an interval is moved to the octave below the bottom member ( or vice versa ), the interval is said to be inverted.

Well… that simply wasn’t true.

A simple example: If you decrease the inversion of a closed c major chord in first inversion in the fifth octave, the new chord will consist of C-5, E-5, G-5.

3

Interval inversions : When the top member of an interval is moved to the octave below the bottom member ( or vice versa ), the interval is said to be inverted.

Just wondering…I know nothing about music theory, but I thought does it mean that the interval changes in relation to the other two notes? So taking joules example C major in first inversion is stacked E-5,G-5,C-6. The distance between note G and C is 5 semitones (perfect 4th). When you move the top note down an octave to become C-5,E-5,G-5, the interval between C and G is now 7 semitones (perfect 5th). Likewise a distance change between E and C. That’s how I kinda interpret it, but I could be wrong.

4

Well… that simply wasn’t true.

A simple example: If you decrease the inversion of a closed c major chord in first inversion in the fifth octave, the new chord will consist of C-5, E-5, G-5.

Thanks for checking out my intervals chart.

I think it is still a true statement if referring to ‘inverted intervals’ ( interval = the size of a gap between two notes ).

It would not be a true statement if referring to a ’ chord inversion’ like the c major chord in your example.

5

my intervals chart

Is there something wrong with Wikipedia’s page on musical intervals?

What new information or insights are you bringing to the table here?

This information can already be found almost verbatim on countless other websites.

Why do we need yet another copy here on the forum?

Why not simply link to (and credit) the existing useful resources you’ve obviously gathered this information from?

I don’t mean to disparage your post(s), I guess I’m just struggling to understand the intention and purpose behind it all.

6

I just wanted to post all the information I have gathered so that I can search it easily later, while I am making a track, or in this case, when I need to understand why a chord has been named as it has. Personally I feel its quite useful and not irrelevant at all.

There is a wikipedia entry on intervals but the intervals themselves are included amongst a lot of other unnecessary information.

Seems like there was going to be some discussion about interval inversions. Would it have been so bad to have a discussion about intervals?

There could have been many new insights ( on the table ) about how and why chords are named the way they are.

To be honest, almost any subject matter can be searched and found “on countless other websites”.

If all interval names are always the same no matter what, how would it be possible not to be “almost verbatim”?

7

I didn’t say that it was irrelevant necessarily, I was just struggling to understand your intentions and the purpose behind re-posting all of this information.

To be perfectly honest, I do not find it very appropriate to use the forum as some kind of personal dumping ground for random snippets of information you’ve gathered.

The forum is here for discussion, not to serve as a PasteBin.

If you’ve found some useful resources that you think others would be interested in, too, then simply share links to those resources, don’t just dump all the content here.

Your most recent thread “Instrument note ranges” even features images pulled directly from other websites/resources, with no form of attribution or credit given for the source material.

At what point does sharing a few “tips and tricks” start to drift a bit too far towards plagiarism? I just think you need to be a bit more thoughtful and considerate with your approach here.

By all means post things that are truly your own unique thoughts on the subject matter, that’s exactly what this “tips and tricks” forum is intended for, but please refrain from copying huge chunks of existing work just because it’s convenient for you.

8

Concensus about inversions .

If root is lowest key / root position = no inversion

If third is lowest key root position = 1st inversion

If fifth is lowest key …= 2nd inversion

If seventh … = 3 inversion .

For this rule to apply , the other notes can also be in a non root position .think G E C ( major C ) , this would be a second inversion with open voicing .

Lot’s of debate abou this … , everyone uses ift differently …I just write the chord name with a slash for root key when inverted

9

@dBlue :

I understand that as forum administrator you may have been becoming a little annoyed recently with the massive walls of text and nonsense being posted here ever since there was a magazine article released in which aphex twin noted that he used trackers such as renoise, but I really think you are putting the blame on the wrong person.

I don’t get it, you want me to limit all posting activity to “true original thought”?

Are your thoughts really so original?

You dont mean to disparage and yet you are disparaging ( personal dumping ground, plagiarism etc. ).

So what I posted an image like many other people on the forum, should I credit every cat photographer whenever a cat picture is posted?

You choose to attack ‘interval naming’ rather than the crazy spammer stuff and walls of text going on everywhere else?

@gentleclockdivider :

You and Joule are both right about chord inversions, but there is a difference between chord inversions and interval inversions.

10

I don’t get it, you want me to limit all posting activity to “true original thought”?

Any shit happening elsewhere on the forum has nothing to do with any of this, and I’m not trying to attack, limit, or blame you for anything, I’m just trying to get a basic point across.

Look, I just meant that if you’re going to start a new topic for discussion or share some tips and tricks, then maybe try to put a little more thought behind it?

Put your own spin on things, rather than just copying huge chunks of information from other sources with little to no additional context.

As a casual viewer of this thread, the only thing I was able to take away from your original post was “Here’s some random stuff I copy/pasted from Wikipedia.”

So… ok? Now what?

You provided no real context for any of it, no apparent thoughts of your own on the subject matter, and made no attempt to pose questions or start any kind of discussion.

You can view it as criticism if you like, but I simply did not find any value in it.

I refer once more to the Wikipedia page which contains all of the same information, formatted and presented in a more logical way, while also providing tons of additional context to the wider subject matter.

Do you see what I’m getting at?

11

I am not overly concerned regarding the value judgements of dblue.

If you had looked more closely you would have noticed that it was not copied and pasted from wikipedia.

I do not doubt that wikipedia may have the same intervals listed, as interval names are going to be the same regardless of the sources used.

How would you put your own spin on interval names?

12

I think dblue means that you might ass well put a link to the wiki article instead of ctrl c /ctrl v.

13

touché…( crazed interval haters you know ).