MUTC101 Introduction to Music Theory Name:_____________________

Dominic Jackson
Shenandoah Conservatory HW1: Intervals

Begin by reading Benjamin, Horvit, and Nelson, pp. 3–12.

There are a variety of ways to calculate musical intervals. You may have been thinking about intervals in
terms of scales: a major sixth above F is the sixth note of an F major scale, or D. However, this approach is
not always the strongest for the following reasons:
~Descending intervals can be much harder than ascending intervals. “A minor sixth below F-sharp”
must be translated to “which minor scale has F# as its sixth step?”
~ “Obscure” notes become much more difficult. What is a minor seventh above D-sharp? I suppose
it's the seventh note of a natural minor scale with six sharps…
~Intervals not encountered in scales, e.g., the augmented sixth, are challenging.
Identifying or creating intervals by counting semi-tones (another common method) is not time-effective,
requires extreme memorization, and often leads to errors.
For a method of interval calculation to be successful it should work equally well regardless
of direction, pitch of origin, or obscurity of interval.
In the following pages you’ll discuss interval size and quality, and demonstrate different techniques to
identify and produce intervals: memorization, inversion, adjustment, and enharmonic equivalence.

PART A. INTERVAL SIZE

• Always consider interval size first! For size, accidentals do not matter, only the distance between
letter names. Intervals can be melodic (one at a time) or harmonic (concurrent).
• To determine the size, count the letter names (or lines and spaces) from one pitch of the interval to
the other (your beginning pitch is “1” – always count it and the last pitch).
o Quick tip! Odd intervals (3rds, 5ths, 7ths) are always line/line or space/space; Even intervals
(2nds, 4ths,6th s, 8ths/octaves are line/space or space/line.
• Intervals larger than an octave are termed “compound,” but we usual call them by their “simple”
equivalent. Tenths and thirds are equivalent in this way since a tenth is a third plus an octave.

1. Produce melodic intervals with the size indicated. The first is done for you.
•

O
O O
g

P MG Pt MT PS m3

O F
C C

0
g

At M ? MG DS m2 m2
.

O
O O
C o

m6 MIO mb Pt m2 m6
Name: ________________________
Dominic Jackson

PART B. INTERVAL QUALITY

While interval size is the letter names spanned, interval quality identifies the half-steps the interval spans.
Always write note-heads for the interval’s size first, before counting half steps.

2. Questions about interval quality, and identification practice:

a) Which size simple intervals (an octave or less) can be Augmented, Major, minor, or diminished?
2nd 3rd
th
fth y
, , ,

b) Which size simple intervals can be Augmented, Perfect, or diminished?

th
4th , g
c) What are the only two pairs of white-key (accidental-free) pitches that are minor 2nds (half-steps)

E to tF B to C
d) What pair of white-key pitches makes non-perfect fifths or fourths?
B to F is a dim 5th ; F to B is an avg 4th
e) Return to Part A,1, identify the quality of each interval, and write it below (M, m, P, A, d, 1st is P4)

PART C. MEMORIZING PERFECT FIFTHS, MAJOR THIRDS, AND MAJOR SECONDS FOR IMMEDIATE RECALL.
• One method to quickly produce intervals of correct size (letter names spanned) and quality (half-
steps the interval spans) is to memorize some, and use those to produce other intervals.
• Work towards memorizing all perfect fifths (P5), minor seconds (m2), major seconds (M2), minor
thirds (m3), major thirds (M3).
• If you know the accidental-free (white-key on keyboard) interval, adjust both pitches accordingly!

3. Produce the given intervals. The first is done for you.

O
or
o to
be

M2 M3 P5 m2 P5 M3

the O bo
o
#a

#
m3 P5 P5 M2 m3 P5
X -0
bo
° #
be
b -0

P5 m3 M2 M3 M2 P5

DO #
y ¥
BO BO

P5 m3 M2 P5 P5 M3

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Name: ________________________

PART D. PRODUCING INTERVALS THROUGH INVERSION

• With m2, M2, M3, m3, and P5 available for immediate recall, you can produce all the other
intervals more quickly. One way to this is inversion.
• Intervals related by inversion combine to form an octave. For example, m6 is the inversion of M3.
• To invert (or flip) an interval:
o Keep one pitch stable and move the other one up or down an octave
o The two interval sizes always sum to 9
§ (2nds become 7th s, 5th s become 4th s, 3rd s become 6th s)
o Adjust Quality
§ Swap: Major for minor (m for M), augmented for diminished (d for A).
§ Perfect remains perfect!
• Make sure you move back up or down the octave!
• It may be faster to produce large intervals using inversion. For example, ­m7 = ¯M2 + P8.
o (think of 7ths as an octave minus a 2nd)
• You can also think of a 6th as a 5th plus a 2nd (M6 = P5+M2, m6 = P5+m2)

4. Produce the following large intervals using inversion, as shown in the example. Indicate the interval of inversion, then
the target interval. Use closed note-heads for the flipped interval and open note-heads for the target notes.

0 bo
be
o
BO BO
C
D

M7 = m2, P8 M6 = ___,
ni3 P8 m7 = ___,
M2 P8 M7 = ___,
mi P8 m6 = ___,
M 3 P8
#E a
g
O
#O
0
°
to
HE
M6 = ___, P8 m7 = ___, P8
m- 3 ML M7 = ___, P8 M6 = ___,
m- 2 m- 3 P8 m7 = ___,
M2 P8

be
2
DO a

bb -0 to
­P4 ¯d4 ¯P4 ­A4 ¯A6 ¯d7

PART E. NON-DIATONIC INTERVALS (INTERVALLIC EQUIVALENTS)

• “Non-diatonic” intervals do not happen in the diatonic collection (a major scale):
o Common non-diatonic intervals include A2, d3, A6 and d7.
• Non-diatonic intervals have diatonic cousins that are “enharmonically equivalent.” For example, an
A2 on the keyboard looks exactly like a m3, but they are different intervals due to their different size.
• There are two methods of producing these intervals. One is to alter their diatonic cousins by, for
example finding a M2 and expanding the interval by a half step to get an A2.1 (recommended!)
• The other method is to find the diatonic cousin and respell the note. For example, an A3 and a P4
are enharmonically equivalent, so an A3 above Bb is D#, the respelling of Eb as a kind of D. To use
this method, you must memorize these enharmonic equivalences.

1
Note: a major second is “expanded” to an augmented second. Whether this expansion means you move a pitch up or
down depends on whether you’re producing an interval above or below a given note.

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Name: ________________________

5. What is the diatonic cousin of the following non-diatonic intervals?

1. A8 ≈ m2 M2
2. d3 ≈ ______ m- 3
3. A2 ≈ ______ mt
4. A5 ≈ ______

MT
5. A6 ≈ ______ Mt
6. d7 ≈ ______

6. Produce the following non-diatonic intervals. The first is done for you.
E
b BC O
g

d3 d7 d4 A5 A2 A2

b -0
d-
b
bd
#T

Xt

d3 d7 d3 A2 A6 d7

b -0
D

# #
O

d4 A2 d7 A6 d5 d5

PART F. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

8. Produce the following intervals above the given pitch.

& nw nw #w nw
nw nw nw
o o bi
O
D bo
#O

m3 P4 M7 m6 M3 m6 d5

? #w bw bw
bw bw nw bw
°
#
BO #O # O
by

M6 m7 M2 A6 A4 P5 A2
9. Produce the following intervals below the given pitch.

#w bw bw
& bw BO
nw BO #O BO
bw BO
#w
C
o

M2 M3 P5 P4 d5 M6 A4

? nw #w nw #w nw bw
to
O # *
#
bw O
O

m2 A5 m3 m2 m6 M6 d4

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