Intervals An interval is the most basic unit of almost everything there is to learn about pitch in music. It is the how we describe the distance between a note from another. The distance may be short or long but it will still be called an interval. Intervals may come in different forms. They may be seen as: 1 2
Linear, horizontal, or melodic – where notes are played successively, and Vertical or harmonic – where notes are played simultaneously or altogether
Two of the most common intervals are the semitones and tones. A semitone is the closest adjacent distance between two notes. A tone is the distance equivalent to two (2) semitones. Naming Intervals Intervals are identified according to their quality and quantity. When identified by its quantity, a musician considers the letter names encompassed across the distance between two notes (e.g. fifth, unison, octave, seventh, etc.). When looking into its quality, it is often qualified with the terms perfect, major, minor, augmented, or diminished (e.g. augmented fifth, diminished seventh, etc.) depending on how the sound the intervals produce give a feel. Consonance and Dissonance of Intervals Intervals, when played together or in succession, may either blend pleasingly or sound clashing against each other (e.g. octave and major seventh, respectively). Intervals whose notes blend or else sound pleasing when heard simultaneously are called consonances. On the other hand, intervals whose notes clash or sound unpleasant when heard together are called dissonances. Distinction between the two, however, is not based on objective criteria, but rather subjective, culturally-conditioned distinction – what is pleasing to one person may be unpleasant to another and vice-versa.
Consonant intervals Dissonant intervals Unison Minor second Octave Major second Perfect fifth Augmented fourth Major third Diminished fourth Minor third Major seventh Major sixth Minor seventh Minor sixth Perfect fourth
Application of Intervals: Scales Intervals, specifically tones and semitones are what comprise the scale. A scale, coming from the Latin word which means ladder, is a set of pitches which you can build melodies or harmonies. Play notes outside a scale, you come for two things – either it is intentional (altered notes) or your music is out of tune. Tones of a scale are placed in order according to their pitch (low to high). The set may create various distinctive moods or atmospheres. There are a myriad (exaggerating) scales out there, but common to Western music, the one we adapt, are diatonic and chromatic scales. a. Diatonic scales – a seven-note musical scale with 5 whole steps and 2 half steps; any scale adapting a step more than 2 semitones is not considered a diatonic scale (e.g. 1.5 semitones apart) i. Major – a diatonic scale with a pattern of R, W, W, H, W, W, W, H; the most important scale ii. Minor – second most important scale (natural, relative minor); derived from a relative diatonic major scale and shares the same notes and chords; pattern goes as R, W, H, , W, W, H, W, W b. Chromatic scales – the musical scale with twelve pitches that are a half step apart Both these scales are bound within octaves. Major keys and scales share one characteristic: a tonal center (or root key). Any notes outside of a scale are called the altered notes.
From the tonal center, the rest of the keys in a scale represent a degree or a level based on its pitch (low or high). See table for reference. Solfeggio is adapted to help identify the major diatonic scale pattern easily. ‘Do’ in a solfeggio may either be ‘C’ (for fixed-do solfeggio), or any tonal center within the chromatic scale (movabledo solfeggio). Any tone from the chromatic scale can become a tonal center. But to have it considered as a tonal center, adjustments must need to be made in order to sustain the diatonic patterns and play the rest of the keys that are supposed to come along with the tonal center. This is why we adapt accidental symbols into key (tonal center) signatures. Key signatures help you figure out which sharps or flats occur in a key or tonal center. A common tool used to help identify these pattern of accidentals is called the Circle of Fifths. The circle displays the order of tonal centers according to the number of flats or sharps and their relative minors that share the same accidentals. Understanding the Circle of Fifths may be quite challenging, so we’ve figured out another way to identifying sharps, flats or a tonal center in seconds. Sharps. To identify a tonal center (root key) based on sharps, take a look at the sharp symbol to the rightmost side of the key signature. Move a semitone above and you have your tonal center.
Flats. To find the tonal center (root key) for flat symbols, the flat symbol second to the right of the key signature is your tonal center. This applies to all key signatures with flats except F key, which contains one flat which is Bb.
Can you name this signature in just one look? Identifying which sharps or flats come along with which key so we’ve figured out a way to make it easier to identify. For sharps, the symbols come in this order: Fat Children Get Diabetes After Eating Buttermilk. For flats, the symbols are just opposite to that of the sharps: Before Eating A Doughnut, Get Coffee First.
Chords: Anatomy and Progression Chords boil down to their basic unit – the triad. A triad is composed of three notes, including a root, a third, and fifth interval (major as default). Chords adapt the key signature rule, which means, all notes played on a chord must fall within the required notes within a key signature, unless otherwise altered intentionally. The most basic chord is ‘I’, which is a combination of I, III, and V of a diatonic scale. Other chords of a key signature are triads based on every degree of a scale (e.g. II, III, IV…). Chords played major are represented in capital Roman Numerals (e.g. I, IV, V) while ones played minor are represented in small Roman Numerals (e.g. ii, iii, vi).
Can you name this key signature?
Major and Minor Chords It is your third interval that determines the major or minor quality of a chord.
To play chords on a seventh, ninth, or eleventh, add these intervals to your default triad (root, third, and fifth intervals).
A chord is considered major if the third interval is four (4) semitones away from the tonal, just as how it is supposed to be with a major diatonic scale (presented as Maj or M).
Primary and Secondary Chords Just like colors, chords do have primary and secondary sets too.
A chord is considered minor if its third is only three (3) semitones away from the tonal center (presented as min or m).
Primary Sets – I, IV, and V Secondary Sets – ii, iii, and vi
Diminished and Augmented Chords A chord is diminished when both the third and fifth intervals fall a semitone short (presented as dim or ˚).
Progression Chord progressions are flows of chords from one to another, often used to portray direction or movement of a song.
A chord is augmented if the fifth interval is up by a semitone (presented as aug or +)
The most common progression in the music industry is the I-VI-V (primary chords). Secondary chords are usually inserted in between the primary chords
Seventh, Ninth, and Eleventh
When creating triads in a scale, not all triads form major chords. Some chords come as minors due to lacking semitones and because the notes have to be within the given key signature. Tonic
Supertonic
Mediant
Subdominant
Dominant
Submediant
Leading Tone
I
ii
iii
IV
V
vi
vii°
Techniques: 1. You may play chords harmonically or melodically. Melodies usually run around the notes involved in a chord. 2. Your left hand need not to play the whole chord as does your right. Instead, it may play the root as octave or may play the root and fifth intervals.
