Introduction to intervals

Intervals are the basis for scales and chords, so it makes sense to take a closer look at them.

An interval is the distance between a root note and a second note sounding simultaneously or one after the other. Each interval has its own sound characteristics, ranging from happy (e.g. major third) to sad (e.g. minor third), from perfect consonance (e.g. octave) to sharp dissonance (e.g. minor second).

Intervals on the guitar fretboard

On the guitar, the distance between two frets is a semitone. After twelve semitones, you are back at the root note, but an octave higher. Each combination of the root note with another note from the mentioned range is a separate interval. For example, if you play the root note twice, you get a unison. If you play the root note and then the note 7 semitones after it, you get a perfect fifth.

Of course, this does not only apply to one string. Below are the intervals starting from the root note E across all strings.

Keep in mind that intervals are always relative to the root note. If you start from a different root note, the interval pattern is shifted accordingly. Below are the intervals starting from the root note A across all strings.

List of intervals

Semitone steps	Interval	Short name	Scale degree	Sound quality
0	Unison	P1	1	Perfect consonance
1	Minor second	m2	b2	Sharp dissonance
2	Major second	M2	2	Dissonance
3	Minor third	m3	b3	Consonance
4	Major third	M3	3	Consonance
5	Perfect fourth	P4	4	Perfect consonance
6	Tritone (augmented fourth / diminished fifth)	A4 / d5	b5	Sharp dissonance
7	Perfect fifth	P5	5	Perfect consonance
8	Minor sixth	m6	b6	Consonance
9	Major sixth	M6	6	Consonance
10	Minor seventh	m7	b7	Dissonance
11	Major seventh	M7	7	Sharp dissonance
12	Octave	P8	1	Perfect consonance
13	Minor ninth	m9	b2	Sharp dissonance
14	Major ninth	M9	2	Dissonance
15	Minor tenth	m10	b3	Consonance
16	Major tenth	M10	3	Consonance
17	...	...	...	...

The table could be continued, but it's not necessary, since the intervals and their sound quality repeat after every octave. For example, a major tenth is a major third plus an octave. The name major tenth is new, but both intervals have the same sound characteristics.

A note on intervals and scale degrees: I use the terms interchangeably because the difference does not really matter at this point.

See also

To see intervals in action, please have a look at:

• Introduction to chords