Main Intervals
The table shows the most widely used conventional names for the intervals between the notes of a chromatic scale. A semitone is any interval between two adjacent notes in a chromatic scale, a whole tone is any interval spanning two semitones, and a tritone is any interval spanning three tones, or six semitones. In Latin nomenclature, the term ditonus was originally used to indicate any interval composed of two tones, but in current English the corresponding term ditone is used with a much more specific meaning, to refer only to a major third with frequency ratio 81:64.
Intervals with different names may span the same number of semitones, and may even have the same width. For instance, the interval from D to F♯ is a major third, while that from D to G♭ is a diminished fourth. However, they both span 4 semitones. If the instrument is tuned so that the 12 notes of the chromatic scale are equally spaced (as in equal temperament), these intervals will also have the same width. Namely, all semitones will have a width of 100 cents, and all intervals spanning 4 semitones will be 400 cents wide.
Except for the Latin ones, the names listed here cannot be determined by counting semitones alone. The rules to determine them are explained below. Other names, determined with different naming conventions, are listed in a separate section.
| Number of semitones |
Minor, major, or perfect intervals |
Short | Augmented or diminished intervals |
Short | Latin nomenclature |
Short | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | Perfect unison | P1 | Diminished second | d2 | Play | ||
| 1 | Minor second | m2 | Augmented unison | A1 | Semitone | S | Play |
| 2 | Major second | M2 | Diminished third | d3 | Whole tone | T | Play |
| 3 | Minor third | m3 | Augmented second | A2 | Play | ||
| 4 | Major third | M3 | Diminished fourth | d4 | Play | ||
| 5 | Perfect fourth | P4 | Augmented third | A3 | Play | ||
| 6 | Diminished fifth | d5 | Tritone | TT | Play | ||
| Augmented fourth | A4 | ||||||
| 7 | Perfect fifth | P5 | Diminished sixth | d6 | Play | ||
| 8 | Minor sixth | m6 | Augmented fifth | A5 | Play | ||
| 9 | Major sixth | M6 | Diminished seventh | d7 | Play | ||
| 10 | Minor seventh | m7 | Augmented sixth | A6 | Play | ||
| 11 | Major seventh | M7 | Diminished octave | d8 | Play | ||
| 12 | Perfect octave | P8 | Augmented seventh | A7 | Play |
Read more about this topic: Interval (music)
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