The best way to showcase major intervals is through the perspective of a major

scale. A scale is nothing more than a sequence of notes that sound good together,
and we’ll talk more about them later down the line. When we specify that a scale is
MAJOR, it has to do with the way it has been constructed as well as the way it
feels and what emotions it brings out. Major scales sound happy and fun.

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What I just played for you is the C major scale. It’s a major scale because it
sounds happy and fun, and we say it’s specifically a C major scale because it
starts on the note C. Then, it follows a specific sequence of intervals that you’re
going to learn when we talk about scales, so you can form your own without much
trouble. For now, no need to rush.

This scale has 7 unique notes in it, and it ends on the same note it started. I
want you to pay attention to its second, third, sixth, and seventh notes. We say
that these are the major second, major third, major sixth, and the major seventh
relative to the note of C we start our scale on. The correct spelling of a major
interval is a capital M, meaning Major, followed by the interval position. Once
again, major second, major third, major sixth, and major seventh.

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I like the note C, so let's keep it as our example.

If we want to find out the major second relative to our precious C, it will be at
the distance of 2 half steps above it. Or 1 whole step, whichever way you're more
comfortable with thinking about it. One half step, 2 half steps. That’s the note D.

A major third will be at the distance of 4 half steps, or 2 whole steps. One, two,
three, four – that’s an E.

A major sixth will be at the distance of 9 half steps, or 4.5 whole steps – an A.

And finally, a major seventh will be at the distance of 11 half steps or 5.5 whole
steps – the note B. A quick way of remembering it is that a major seventh is the
note a half step below the note you started on, just moved up an octave.

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And let me quickly address something before we continue. As you remember, notes can
have several names, and the naming of the starting note also influences the naming
of its intervals. Take Db and C# for example. They’re the same note with different
spellings, so their intervals are technically the same. However, if you start on a
Db, it would make more sense to spell D# and A# as Eb and Bb respectively - it’s
just easier to read the notes when you don’t mix and match accidentals, but rather
stick to the one or the other.

With that being said, a big disclaimer. I don’t want you to worry too much about
spelling at this stage of your journey, it’s absolutely fine to learn intervals in
their quote-unquote “base” position – that’s why, for the time being, I only am
going to use the sharp accidental and not the flat one when it comes to major
intervals, even if it may clash with the starting note. The spelling guidelines are
something we’re going to look into later in this course, and my decision will
become clearer as we go through other intervals – more specifically, minor ones,
which I’ll choose to use only flat accidentals for to provide a clear mental
separation between major and minor, at least for now. Still, I wanted to take some
time to address the elephant in the room because I just know that someone in the
comments will try to call me out on it.

Let’s then take our time and list every major interval for every note out there.
I’ll see you on the other side of the list.

Let’s start on the note of C again. The major second is 2 half steps from it, and
it’s the note D. The major third is 4 half steps from it, and it’s the note E. The
major sixth is 9 half-steps away and it’s the note A. And the major seventh is 11
half-steps away and it’s the note B.

Next up, C#. You might also see it spelled as Db. The major second here is D#. The
major third is note F. The major sixth is the note A#, and the major seventh is C.
Something I would like to point out before we go further.

Back to our regularly scheduled intervals. Next, we have the note D. A major second
away from D is the note E. A major third away from it is the note F#. The major
sixth is a B and the major seventh is a C#.

Then, we have a D#, also known as Eb. Its major second is F. Its major third is G,
C is the major sixth, and D is the major seventh.

Next in line is the note E. The major second here is an F#, the major third is a
G#, the major sixth position is taken by a C# and the major seventh is a D#.

Next up, F. Its major second is the note G, its major third is an A, the major
sixth is a D and the major seventh position is taken by an E.

Halfway done, time for F#, also known as Gb. The major second here is a G#. After
that, the major third is an A#, the major sixth is a D#, and the major seventh is
an F.

Let’s move on to G. A major second away from G is the note A, a major third away is
the note B. E is the major sixth, and F# is the major seventh.

G# is next, also known as Ab. The major second here is A#. C takes the major third
position, F takes the major sixth position, and as a major seventh we can find G.

Then, it’s time for A. As a major second, we can find the note B. We have C# as a
major third. An F# as a major sixth and a G# as a major seventh.

Only two left, almost done. Now let’s talk about A#, or Bb, whichever you prefer.
Its major second is the note C, its major third is the note D, it has G as the
major sixth, and a major seventh away is the note A.

Finally, we have B. The major second here is a C#, the major third is a D#. The
major sixth spot is taken by a G#, and the major seventh is an A#.

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Let's start on C.

The major second relative to our C, will be at the distance of 2 half steps (or 1
whole step) above it – a D.

The major third will be at the distance of 4 half steps, or 2 whole steps – an E.

The major sixth will be at the distance of 9 half steps, or 4.5 whole steps – an A.
And finally, the major seventh will be at the distance of 11 half steps or 5.5
whole steps – a B.

Everything checks out. Keeping all of this in mind, we now can introduce the minor
intervals. Just like the major ones, they also exist in the same positions. Minor
second, minor third, minor sixth, and minor seventh. The correct spelling of a
minor interval is a lowercase m, meaning Minor, followed by the interval’s
position.

And here comes the fun part: minor intervals are simply a half-step below their
major siblings. So, if we consider C as our starting note, our major third is E,
and our minor third is Eb. It's THAT simple.

And since we are here, let's spell it out. The C note is our guinea pig once again.

A minor second will be at the distance of 1 half step or 0.5 whole step – a Db.

A minor third will be at the distance of 3 half steps or 1.5 whole steps – an Eb.

A minor sixth will be at the distance of 8 half steps or 4 whole steps – an Ab.

A minor seventh will be at the distance of 10 half steps or 5 whole steps – a Bb.

Something I would like to point out is that while major and minor intervals are
closely related, be careful - while you can figure major intervals out by looking
at the major scale and its note positions, that is not true for the minor scale.

Let’s use the A minor scale, for the sake of simplicity – it only has white notes
in it. Taking this minor scale and comparing the minor intervals to their supposed
position within a scale, things don’t add up – the minor second will always be off.
No worries, however - a minor second is the closest interval in music – it’s just a
half step up from the note you start on. So if a major second interval is C to D,
aka a whole step above, a minor interval is C to Db – a half step. Why didn’t I say
C to C#, you might ask? Well, it’s because I want you to think of minor intervals
as a half step below the major ones, and having a flat in there would remind you
that we’re moving down.

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Let me open a quick parentheses here. While it is true that I want you to think of
minor intervals as a half step below the major ones, and my note spelling reflects
it, that’s not the entire picture.

As you know, notes can have different names, for example, A# and Bb. A minor third
up from there, according to the logic presented 30 seconds ago, is Db. If I’m
starting on Bb and saying that its minor third is Db, everything is fine, but if I
start on the A#, it would be better to spell the minor third as C#, instead of Db,
as seeing two different accidentals makes it a little less readable.

With that being said, as I previously mentioned when discussing major intervals, I
don’t want you to worry too much about spelling at this stage of your journey. For
now, to keep things easy, I’d rather use only flat accidentals for minor intervals.
I used only sharps for the major ones, and that should provide you with a clear
mental separation between the two, as well as help with the whole “a half step down
from major intervals” thing. That reduces the possibility of a mistake, as well as
increases the speed at which you can find out the minor intervals.
Ultimately, it’s all a matter of context, but since there is not much context to go
around in these beginning stages of music theory, I think that would be the best
way to go about learning things.

And, as is tradition, let’s walk through each of the 12 notes and point out the
minor intervals relative to each of them.

First up, C. The minor second is 1 half step away, right next to it, and it’s a Db.
The minor third is 3 half steps from it, and it’s the note Eb. The minor sixth is 8
half-steps from it and it’s the note Ab. And the minor seventh is 10 half-steps
away and it’s the note Bb.

Moving on to C# also known as Db, the minor second here is the note D. The minor
third is an E, the minor sixth is an A, and the minor seventh is a B.

Next up, is the note D. A minor second away from it is an Eb, while a minor third
away is an F. Its minor sixth is a Bb, and the minor seventh is a C.

D# aka Eb is next on our list. The minor second here is an E, the minor third is a
Gb, the minor sixth is a B and the minor seventh is a Db.

Then, we have the note E. Its minor second is an F. The minor third is a G. Its
minor sixth is a C, and its minor seventh is a D.

Next in line is the note F. The minor second here is a Gb, and the minor third
position is taken by an Ab. The minor sixth is a Db, and the minor seventh is an
Eb.

Okay, we’re halfway down, time for the F#, also known as Gb. Its minor second is a
G, its minor third is an A, its minor sixth is a D, and its minor seventh is an E.

Then we have G. A minor second away from G is Ab. A minor third away from G is Bb.
The minor sixth is an Eb, and the minor seventh is an F.

Next on our list, is G# as well as its twin sister – Ab. The minor second here is
the note A. The minor third is a B. The minor sixth is an E, and the minor seventh
is a Gb.

Alright, we’re on the final stretch, only 3 notes left. Time for the note A. Its
minor second is a Bb, its minor third is a C, its minor sixth is an F, and its
minor seventh is a G.

Moving on to A#, aka Bb, the minor second here is the note B. A minor third away we
can find Db. The minor sixth position is taken by a Gb, and Ab takes the place of
the minor seventh.

And last, but not least, we have the note B. Its minor second is a C, its minor
third is a D, its minor sixth is a G, and the minor seventh here is an A.

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Okay, to quickly recap everything we’ve seen so far, both major and minor intervals
come in distances of seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths.

With major and minor intervals behind us, we are 2 out of 5 interval qualities
deep. Major intervals are very useful. Minor intervals are very useful. And what's
even more useful than those two are what we call perfect intervals.

I really like using the C major scale as a guinea pig. To make it clear, I don’t
expect you to know scales just yet, it’s here simply as a visual showcase of
intervals. It helps to have an example you can see rather than relying only on math
which neither one of us wants to do.

The scale has 7 unique notes in it, plus it repeats the starting note at the end.
The distance between the starting note and the next time we see it is called an
octave, based on the word “octo” meaning “eight”. All the notes in between are also
part of the octave.

That’s one way to use that word. The second way is when we say that this note is
the octave note of this one. It’s at the distance of an octave, so that makes the
note itself an octave, very inventive.

If we want to slap a dictionary definition on it, an octave is the distance between

one musical pitch and another one with double its frequency. So this C is double
the frequency of this C, and this C is double the frequency of this C. This goes
for every note out there, and that’s what we mean when we say to play something an
“octave higher” or an “octave lower”.

Why am I telling you this?

I mentioned that major and minor intervals only come in distances of seconds,
thirds, sixths, and sevenths. Considering a scale usually consists of 7 unique
notes, plus the repeat at the octave, some distances have been left unaccounted
for. Namely, 1, 4, 5, and this 8th.

The very first note here is called the unison, and the 8th note is the octave. If
we start on C, the unison is the very C we start on. Not higher or lower, it’s the
same one. An octave is the same note we start on, but either played higher or
lower, depending on the context.

These concepts are very important when writing music, as having several instances
of the same note being played reinforces and emphasizes it. That’s why you hear a
lot about several things being played “in unison”. Let me show you.

Here’s a piano playing a simple melody.

Let’s play the same melody with more than one instrument at the same time.

It does sound like there is more emphasis on it, right? Well, octaves serve a
similar purpose as well. Let’s stay on the same example, but we’re playing the
melody in different octaves to make it even stronger.

That’s a very simple example but hopefully, I get my point across. You will often
see octaves used when you look at any piano tutorial out there. Whenever physically
playing a chord, which is a fancy name for several notes being played together,
there’s usually one of them that’s far lower than the others. If you, for example,
have the notes C, E, and G playing with the right hand, which is the C major chord,
it’s common to have your left hand play one of those 3 again, but in a lower octave
to make it sound weightier.

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The other two intervals that have still been left unaccounted for are perfect
fourth and perfect fifth and, along with unison and octave, they resonate with the
sense of completion and stability, which is the main keyword here. While major and
minor intervals are going to be the defining factor in taking you on an emotional
journey, as will augmented and diminished intervals we're going to see later,
perfect intervals act as a sort of anchor, a gravity well that everything kind of
orbits around and that keeps everything from going too wild. Without that anchor,
everything else kind of falls apart because there is no real sense of context.

The correct spelling for these intervals is a capital P, followed by the interval’s
position. Unison, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, and perfect eight, aka an octave.

And here’s something fun to remember: perfect intervals don't change based on the
scale, unlike major and minor ones. This is a C major scale, this is a C minor
scale, see? The distance in half steps as well as their position within a scale is
always going to be the same.

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In this case, it’s time to do what we did for the other intervals, so let’s then
count the half steps:

A unison will always be at the distance of 0 half steps – it’s the same note we
start on, nothing surprising here.

A perfect fourth will be at the distance of 5 half steps, or 2.5 whole steps.

A perfect fifth will be at the distance of 7 half steps, or 3.5 whole steps.

An octave will always be at the distance of 12 half steps, or 6 whole steps. Even
though the simplest way to figure an octave out is to look at the note you start on
and just play it higher or lower.

Okay, let’s apply this pattern to the notes.

- Starting on C, the unison is the very C we start on. The perfect fourth is an
F and the perfect fifth is a G. An octave is still a C, just the one that’s higher
or lower.

- Then, C#. The unison is still a C#. A perfect fourth away we can find an F#,
and a perfect fifth away is a G#. The octave is a C#.

- After that, we have ourselves a D. The unison is, again, the very same D. Its
perfect fourth is a G, and its perfect fifth is an A. The octave is still a D.

- Next up, D#. Unison is that very D#, the perfect fourth is a G#, the perfect
fifth is an A#, and the octave is a D#.

- Then, E is up next. The unison is the same E, with the perfect fourth being
an A, and the perfect fifth being a B. E is our octave.

- Moving on, we have an F. The unison is that very F. The perfect fourth is a
Bb or A#, the spelling depending on the context around it. The perfect fifth is a C
and the octave is back on an F, but the higher or lower one.

- Next on our list, is F#. Unison is still an F#, what a surprise. Its perfect
fourth, however, is a B and its perfect fifth is a C#. The octave is an F#.

- Now that we’re most of the way through, let’s go to G. The unison is a G, the
perfect fourth is a C, and the perfect fifth is a D. The octave is a G.
- Up next, G#. Unison is… try to guess. Of course, it’s a G#. The perfect
fourth is a C# and the perfect fifth is a D#. Octave is still a G#.

- Then, we have an A. The unison is an A, its perfect fourth is a D, its

perfect fifth is an E and its octave is an A.

- After that, there’s an A# waiting for us. Its unison is still an A#, the
perfect fourth is a D#, the perfect fifth is an F, and the octave is an A#.

- Finally, we have a B. The unison is still that B, the perfect fourth is an E,

the perfect fifth is an F# and the octave is a B.

Something you’re going to have to remember is that perfect intervals (unisons,

fourths, fifths, and octaves) can never be major or minor, and major and minor
intervals (seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths) can never be perfect in quality.
However, any size of interval can be augmented or diminished, and we’ll talk about
that in the next videos.

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Of course, I’m talking about the most horrifying invention there is – the circle of
fifths. Everybody who tried to learn music theory before on their own has
encountered this monstrosity, and that was the point where a lot of people mentally
checked out. If that’s you, I don’t blame you, I took one look at the thing, said
nope, turned 180 degrees, and started looking for ways to learn music theory
without relying on this thing. It can only be made worse if I were using Comic Sans
to recreate it. [ shudders ]

But despite the intimidating first impression, once you get to know this thing,
it’s actually pretty handy. I will teach you the circle of fifths, but if I want to
make you understand it, I need to do it gradually. Well, today is our first step,
and the best thing I can do right now is to remove most of it and leave only what
we need today, and we’ll learn the other pieces when their time comes.

There’s also going to be a separate video on this channel that compiles all the
segments into one video you can reference, but honestly, expecting you to learn the
circle of fifths in one sitting would probably count as a violation of the Geneva
Convention. So the best thing is to just follow this course, and I will bring
pieces of it up as we progress.

Removing.. well, most things from it leaves us with only a circle of notes. That’s
what we’re going to learn today, and this thing will save your brain from melting
countless times later down the line. Let’s make sense of it then.

Here you can see all 12 notes of the octave, arranged in what feels to be a random
order. It’s not. Take the note C for example. To the right, clockwise to our C, we
have a G, which as we learned today is a perfect fifth away. To the left, counter-
clockwise to our C is an F, which is a perfect fourth away. That’s not a
coincidence, that’s a pattern.

Take.. I don’t know, the note B. The next note clockwise is an F# - it’s a perfect
fifth. The first note counterclockwise is an E – it’s perfect fourth.

This is a pattern that can be applied to any note you can see: going clockwise,
each note is a perfect fifth away from the previous. Going counter-clockwise, each
note is a perfect fourth away from the previous one.