Interval (music) Facts for Kids

An interval in music is the distance between two notes. These notes can be played at the same time or one after the other.

A musical keyboard shows how notes are spaced out.

On a keyboard, two notes right next to each other (including both white and black keys) are called a “semitone” apart. A “tone” is the same as two semitones. What an interval is called can depend on how the notes are written. For example, the black note between D and E can be called D sharp or E flat. Even though it's the same key, the name changes the interval.

In the examples below, we'll use C as the starting note. The other note will be the next note of that name above C. So, the interval from C to B means the C and the B right above it.

Understanding Major and Perfect Intervals
What are Minor Intervals?
What are Diminished Intervals?
What are Augmented Intervals?
Inverting Intervals
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Understanding Major and Perfect Intervals

When we talk about intervals, we often use a major scale as a guide. A C major scale has these notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C.

Here are some common intervals starting from C in a major scale:

The distance from C to D is a major 2nd (or major second).
The distance from C to E is a major 3rd (or major third).
The distance from C to F is a perfect 4th (or perfect fourth).
The distance from C to G is a perfect 5th (or perfect fifth).
The distance from C to A is a major 6th (or major sixth).
The distance from C to B is a major 7th (or major seventh).
The distance from C to the next C (an octave higher) is a perfect 8th (or perfect octave).

What are Minor Intervals?

If you take a major interval and make it smaller by one semitone, it becomes a minor interval.

The interval from C to D flat is a minor 2nd.
The interval from C to E flat is a minor 3rd.
The interval from C to A flat is a minor 6th.
The interval from C to B flat is a minor 7th.

What are Diminished Intervals?

When a perfect interval is made smaller by one semitone, it becomes “diminished.”

The interval from C to F flat is a diminished 4th.
The interval from C to G flat is a diminished 5th.

If a major interval is made smaller by two semitones (which is a whole tone), it also becomes “diminished.”

The interval from C to D double flat is a diminished 2nd.
The interval from C to E double flat is a diminished 3rd.
The interval from C to A double flat is a diminished 6th.
The interval from C to B double flat is a diminished 7th.

What are Augmented Intervals?

If a major interval is made bigger by one semitone, it becomes “augmented.”

The interval from C to D sharp is an augmented 2nd.
The interval from C to E sharp is an augmented 3rd.
The interval from C to A sharp is an augmented 6th.
The interval from C to B sharp is an augmented 7th.

Similarly, if a perfect interval is made bigger by one semitone, it also becomes “augmented.”

The interval from C to F sharp is an augmented 4th.
The interval from C to G sharp is an augmented 5th.

It's important to remember that to figure out an interval, you should treat the lower note as the first note of a scale. For example:

C sharp to A sharp is a major 6th.
C sharp to A is a minor 6th.

Inverting Intervals

Intervals can be “inverted” or turned upside down. For example, if you go from C up to A, that's a major 6th. But if you go from C down to A, that's a minor 3rd.

A major 6th is the inversion of a minor 3rd.

Here's how inversions work:

When you invert a major interval, it becomes a minor interval.
When you invert an augmented interval, it becomes a diminished interval.
Perfect intervals stay perfect when inverted. This is why they are called “perfect”!

When you add an interval and its inversion together, they always add up to 9. (This is because there are 8 notes in a scale, and one note is counted twice).

Compound intervals are intervals that are bigger than an octave (an 8th). For example, C to D an octave higher plus one more note is a major 9th.

Big intervals are sometimes called “wide” intervals, and small ones are called “narrow” intervals.