New answers tagged intervals
10
You are misreading the staff. Those aren't sharp symbols, those are natural symbols. So E-natural to E-flat and B-flat to B-natural. In measure 4, the natural symbol is redundant because a note is assumed to follow the key signature (C in this case) unless there's a preceding note in the same measure with an accidental. Therefore the first note in this ...
22
The confusion arises from the accidentals. Your answer of a whole step would absolutely be correct if those were sharps (♯), but in fact those accidentals are naturals, not sharps (♮). A note with a natural in front of it cancels any previous accidentals, meaning play the note on the white key. So, E♮ to E♭ is a half step (go down one key from E) and B♭ to B♮...
4
Every interval has at least two names. Intervals are designated by two factors - the actual names of both notes (with/out sharps/flats), and the number of semitones separating them.
C>F♯ is an aug.4th, whereas C>G♭ is a dim 5th. Yes, they both have the same number of semitones between them but one concerns an F note, the other a G note. ...
5
In equal temperament tuning, they are the same pitch. So the difference is all in the context in which they are used.
If the music is using a Lydian scale or mode, then it's an augmented fourth. Because it's the fourth degree of the scale.
If the music is using a diminished scale or chord, then the it's a diminished fifth.
In a context like a Blues scale, ...
0
Ignore the confusing standard notation, ignore the confusing sharps and flats, ignore the confusing key signatures, and ignore the confusing black/white piano keys. Restrict yourself to only the confusing note names and confusing interval names, and then simply look at the sequence of consecutive notes:
A B♭ C♭ C D♭ D E♭ E F G♭ G A♭ A
...
1
Intervals are absolute. They do not change with different key signatures. B to D♯ is a major 3rd whether the ♯ came from a key signatore or an accidental.
Accidentals are not cumulative. If there's a B major (5 sharps) key signature, a notated D will be D♯. Put a ♯ accidental in front of it (maybe as a reminder after a previous ...
1
Intervals seem to confound many of us. And to make it worse, each pair of notes when played, can be called at least two different names.
The actual key any two notes, therefore the interval between them, can help, but that in itself can bring confusion. Minor intervals are found in major scales, and vice versa.
Intervals are always calculated from the ...
0
It all depends on the way it's notated, the key is irrelevant (there might not even be a key). If you notate notes as B and D (whether those notes are sharp, natural or flat) then this is always a third. The nature of the interval (major, minor etc.) depend on the number of semitones between the notes.
So we have
B-flat to D-flat, B to D, B-sharp to D-...
0
The written notes in the staff system are not so helpful to understand the intervals (minor, major, diminished or augmented.
You better draw a keyboard and the interval patterns, the note names on the right side of the sheet notation or below of the system.
https://www.musictheory.net/lessons/31
If you tip on an interval in the posted link the keys and ...
1
Just adding notation visuals - otherwise @Richard answered the question.
You must consider both key signatures and accidentals.
With no key signature and no accidentals, B natural and D natural, minor third
With no key signature and accidental sharp on D, B natural and D sharp, major third
With key signature of 5 sharps and no accidentals, B natural and ...
2
Yes, the typical approach is to determine the interval based off of the major scale of the bottom pitch.
Given the interval from B up to D♯, we would first conceptualize B major, which has five sharps: F♯, C♯, G♯, D♯, and A♯. Since the D♯ is in the key of B major, this is a major third above B.
In order for this to be an augmented third, we would have to ...
0
Caution: Heretic answer.
Today's music "theory" is not a scientific theory. It is a large and complicated set of definitions and conventions that doesn't provide a toolkit for understanding how music works. Harmonies are just not built form semitones, but from ratios.
All music builds on only two scales: The overtone scale (O-scale) and its inverse, the ...
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