Lesson 12 / 30 7 min
Intervals: the distance between notes
Hear and see every interval from the minor 2nd to the octave, and their fretboard shapes.
An interval is the distance between two notes. Intervals are the building blocks of everything: melodies are intervals played one after another, and chords are intervals played together. Learn to see and hear them, and theory gets simple.
Measuring intervals
We count intervals in half steps (frets). Each interval has a name. Click the buttons to hear each one — first the two notes one after another, then together.
Interval shapes on the fretboard
On guitar, every interval has a shape that you can move anywhere. Here are the most important ones starting from A (5th fret, 6th string):
The B-string rule
When an interval shape crosses from the G string to the B string, the note on the B string moves one fret higher. That's because the B string is tuned a major 3rd (4 frets) above G, while every other pair is a perfect 4th (5 frets).
Consonant and dissonant
- Consonant intervals sound stable and smooth: unison, octave, perfect 5th, perfect 4th, major and minor 3rds and 6ths.
- Dissonant intervals sound tense and want to move: the minor 2nd, major 7th and the tritone.
Dissonance isn't "bad" — it creates tension, and tension makes music exciting. Metal guitarists love the tritone and the minor 2nd for their dark, menacing sound.
Hear intervals with songs you know
The fastest way to recognize intervals by ear is to link each one to the start of a familiar melody:
| Interval | Sounds like the start of… |
|---|---|
| Minor 2nd | The Jaws theme |
| Major 2nd | Happy Birthday |
| Minor 3rd | Smoke on the Water riff (first two notes) |
| Major 3rd | When the Saints Go Marching In |
| Perfect 4th | Here Comes the Bride |
| Tritone | The Simpsons theme |
| Perfect 5th | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star |
| Octave | Somewhere Over the Rainbow |
Practice with our ear trainer. Next, we'll use intervals to build the most important scale in music.