Musical intervals what is a seventh or a ninth

[Alisha]

Musical intervals what is a seventh or a ninth

Alexander Bringsoniou web page explains musical intervals

http://www.akribi.org/Webbplats/Music_theory.html

Intervals

Intervals tell us the distance between the notes you play. The distance between C and G is equal to the distance between D and A and intervals are used as a universal tool to describe this. The keys may differ but the intervals are always the same.

Basics

In the example below C is the root.

C ? C = Root (the same note)
C ? D = Second
C ? E = Third
C ? F = Fourth
C ? G = Fifth
C ? A = Sixth
C ? B = Seventh
C ? C = Octave
C ? D = Ninth (the same as the second but one octave higher)
C ? E = Tenth (the same as the third but one octave higher)
C ? F = Eleventh (the same as the fourth but one octave higher)
C ? G = Twelfth (the same as the fifth but one octave higher)

And some slightly more difficult stuff

There are more intervals than the ones presented above. As you can see the intervals between C and the notes D and E are presented but there's nothing about the interval between C and the note between D and E, the D#/Eb.

Here's how it works. If you want to name the interval between C and Eb. The Eb is a flat E. If the notes is flattened you say that it's minor. The interval C ? Eb is therefore called a minor third.

It's the opposite if you sharpen a note, the interval C ? F is a fourth, the interval C ? F# is a major fourth.
To read the full article visit
http://www.akribi.org/Webbplats/Music_theory.html

[littleplum]

Hi Alisha

I have just read your post re intervals, I know it was a cut and paste from the other website, but some of the information is not quite correct.
In the section headed more difficult stuff it says that if a note is flattened then it is a minor interval.  Thats  not always the case.  In working out intervals, you should always take the lowest note as the root, so for example if your low note is Eb then you need to regard your intervals as being in the key of Eb (3 flats Bb  Eb and Ab), so if your first note is Eb and the second note is Bb then that doesnt make it a minor interval, as both notes are in the major scale.  If you had a lower not of Bb(so you are in teh key of Bb with Bb and Eb) and your higher note was Ab then that would be a minor interval because the Ab is not in the key signature.

The second point is where it mentions if you sharpen a note that makes it a major interval.  If the 2 notes concerned are in the key signature of the lower note   eg A to C# then that is a major 3rd. if they ae not in the key signature then that is a different ball game entirely.  Also there is no such thing as a Major fourth, it is called a perfect fourth.  This also applies to the interval of a 5th.  For example c to f is a perfect fourth, c to f# is an augmented fourth, c to fb is a diminished fourth.

I will try and find a website that explains this a little more clearly so that you can have a point of reference, or if not I will try and write an article that explains it easily

the rest of the article was correct,

regards

Dave