Hello !
and now.. INTERVALS !
Music is an awesome combination of melody, harmony, rhythm, feel and all that stuff. Music Theory is simply a way or method to understand how this all works and why music is the way it is. To understand it thoroughly we must strip it down completely and start from the beginning.
Scales, chords, arpeggios, modes are all made from notes. A note is nothing but a sound in a particular frequency. This is the fundamental building block. But its just a lone note. What matters is the relationship between various notes which makes it musical. This relationship between two notes is called the INTERVAL.
Intervals are always relative i.e. its always taken with reference to something. In our case its the Unison or ROOT NOTE as its more commonly known.
So as we all know we have twelve notes in music (starting from C):
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B
and its en-harmonic (real fancy names ppl come up with o_O) equivalent is:
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
I'm assuming you guys know what flats and sharps are and what tones and semitones are so i'm not gonna insult your intelligence and waste space explaining that (unless, of course, you're a drummer.. then you're on the wrong page.. but do come back.. extra cheese and pepperoni next time :D).
The interval is nothing but how these 12 notes relate to the reference root note.
So we should have 12 intervals to establish that. Those 12 intervals are:
1 - Unison, or the root (the reference note)
b2 - Minor second
2 - Major second
b3 - Minor third
3 - Major third
4 - Perfect fourth
b5 - Diminished fifth or Augmented Fouth or Tritone (3 whole tones apart)
5 - Perfect Fifth
b6 - Minor sixth
6 - Major sixth
b7 - Minor Seventh
7 - Major Seventh
8 - Octave (same as the root but one pitch higher)
Remember the order of the intervals.
After the octave we have the b9 (which is the b2 played an octave higher), 9, b10, 10, 11, b12, 12 and so on.. We hardly use the 10ths or the 12ths intervals. Just know the 9th, 11th & 13th (2nd, 4th and 6th one octave up, respectively)
Now lets take C as the root or reference n figure out the intervals
1 - C
b2 - Db
2 - D
b3 - Eb
3 - E
4 - F
b5 - Gb
5 - G
b6 - Ab
6 - A
b7 - Bb
7 - B
8 - C
so we have the various intervals with C being the reference note.
a flat third or minor third with reference to C is a Eb.
a perfect fifth with reference to C is a G and so on. you get the picture.
This can be applied for any reference note. Here's an example using Eb as reference.
CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVALS:
Ok.. Now, lets take it one step further and. Each of these intervals have a certain quality and the usage of these note impact the musical piece as a whole.
We can rate the intervals from dissonant (very unstable and not pleasing to the the ear), imperfect consonance (not that stable but you don't have anything against it either... think of it as a friend of friend of a friend with a weird habit who's made to sit next to you during a big dinner party) and perfect consonant (very stable and pleasing to the ear).
Try playing each interval with the root and actually LISTEN to the tonal characteristics. If you have human ears you'll end up assigning these attributes to each interval.
Initially, it's not necessary to be pitch perfect but you need to have a good idea about relative pitches.
There's a simple way to get used to the sound of various intervals. By using songs !!
FINDING YOUR INTERVALS:
What you read above is the general music theory. Best part of it is, it can be applied to any damn instrument. So how do you apply it to you bass and locate these intervals?
First, You need to know the notes on the fret board. I think you'll find this crap online on any guitar tutorial site but be a bit smarter and learn them (its not rocket science ) on your own. Works better that way. Second, before we get into diagrams, figures n shit like that, let me brief you on the importance of patterns. I can't stress enough on the importance of learning various patterns especially for the guitars and bass as its a very symmetric instrument. On stage, I don't think any of us will be a able to think note by note while playing. Its mentally impossible. Patterns help us to remember where the nice friendly notes. Plus the symmetry of the fret board helps us to utilize one single pattern in many ways. so remember to learn and work on your patterns. ITS ALL ABOUT PATTERNS PEOPLE !!!
The pattern below shows you where the intervals are located within 2 or 3 frets. So make sure you memorize this pattern. This will be really really useful when you're learning chords.
(apologies for the lousy fret board representation, this was done in a hurry)
Not that difficult it is ? ;)
The root is on the E string in this diagram but its really versatile and can be applied anywhere on the fret board using any reference note on any string. So make use of the symmetry of the instrument.
Alrighty then !
Now you have a decent basic idea of Intervals and where to find these intervals on the fret board !
But i'm not done yet..
While reading this blog did any of you actually bother to question the
ORIGIN OF INTERVALS ?!!
So another lesson: Remember that the history of a musical concept is as important as the concept itself. They were born outta necessity and not randomly. Understanding the history will help us understand the application of the concept. So, plz take that extra effort to read a little about the origin of musical ideas. It'll help you understand it better.
So, how did the whole idea of intervals come about ?
As legend goes, the great Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (yeah that same s.o.b who did the right angled triangle theorem stuff) was walking by a blacksmiths shop when he noticed that certain sounds of the hammers on the anvils sounded more consonant (more stable or more pleasing to the ear) than others. Upon investigation, he discovered that the nicer sounds came from hammers whose weights were in simple proportions like 2:1, 3:2 and 4:3.
But our pal didn't keep quiet. He and his homies conducted further musical experiments with the Monochord, which is wooden block with one string and a movable wedge. One end of the string was fixed while the other was hung with a weight to maintain some tension (like a guitar).
What he discovered was when he moved the wedge he got various sounds for various ratios.
For a 2:1 (or 2/1) ratio he got an octave interval (the wedge was placed in such a way that the longer side is exactly 2 times the length of the shorter side). Then he found the perfect 4th & perfect 5th intervals for 4:3 and a 3:2 ratio, respectively. These were the most consonant sounds. The other intervals were found using the same method using different ratios
Interestingly enough if you multiply the ratios of inverse n the original it you always get 2
ex: 7 (major 7th) and its harmonic inverse b2 (minor 2nd)
(15/18) * (16/15) = 2
or b6(minor sixth and its harmonic inverse 3 (major3)
(8/5)*(5/4)=2
cool eh?
The Pythagorean clan became convinced that basic musical harmony could be expressed through simple ratios of whole numbers.Their general belief was that, lower the numbers in the ratio, the better the notes sounded together. Thus, the natural building blocks of mathematics (small whole numbers) we realigned with the natural interval relationships used to create harmonious music !
This was ages ago. Today we follow something called the Equal Temperament system of determining intervals to tune our instruments in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio.
Our reference is the A note at 440 Hz called A440.
So....
Thanks for reading this !
Before we start off one very VERY important note:
Music Theory is just a tool used to understand and appreciate music and to help you play better. They're not absolute rules or guidelines (there are no rules in art). Never use music theory as an excuse to not experiment and never restrict yourself to it. The art of expressing what you feel through music always comes first. The theory is just to help you express those artistic aspects better if you wish to do so.
Before we start off one very VERY important note:
Music Theory is just a tool used to understand and appreciate music and to help you play better. They're not absolute rules or guidelines (there are no rules in art). Never use music theory as an excuse to not experiment and never restrict yourself to it. The art of expressing what you feel through music always comes first. The theory is just to help you express those artistic aspects better if you wish to do so.
and now.. INTERVALS !
Music is an awesome combination of melody, harmony, rhythm, feel and all that stuff. Music Theory is simply a way or method to understand how this all works and why music is the way it is. To understand it thoroughly we must strip it down completely and start from the beginning.
Scales, chords, arpeggios, modes are all made from notes. A note is nothing but a sound in a particular frequency. This is the fundamental building block. But its just a lone note. What matters is the relationship between various notes which makes it musical. This relationship between two notes is called the INTERVAL.
Intervals are always relative i.e. its always taken with reference to something. In our case its the Unison or ROOT NOTE as its more commonly known.
So as we all know we have twelve notes in music (starting from C):
C Db D Eb E F Gb G Ab A Bb B
and its en-harmonic (real fancy names ppl come up with o_O) equivalent is:
C C# D D# E F F# G G# A A# B
I'm assuming you guys know what flats and sharps are and what tones and semitones are so i'm not gonna insult your intelligence and waste space explaining that (unless, of course, you're a drummer.. then you're on the wrong page.. but do come back.. extra cheese and pepperoni next time :D).
The interval is nothing but how these 12 notes relate to the reference root note.
So we should have 12 intervals to establish that. Those 12 intervals are:
1 - Unison, or the root (the reference note)
b2 - Minor second
2 - Major second
b3 - Minor third
3 - Major third
4 - Perfect fourth
b5 - Diminished fifth or Augmented Fouth or Tritone (3 whole tones apart)
5 - Perfect Fifth
b6 - Minor sixth
6 - Major sixth
b7 - Minor Seventh
7 - Major Seventh
8 - Octave (same as the root but one pitch higher)
Remember the order of the intervals.
After the octave we have the b9 (which is the b2 played an octave higher), 9, b10, 10, 11, b12, 12 and so on.. We hardly use the 10ths or the 12ths intervals. Just know the 9th, 11th & 13th (2nd, 4th and 6th one octave up, respectively)
Now lets take C as the root or reference n figure out the intervals
1 - C
b2 - Db
2 - D
b3 - Eb
3 - E
4 - F
b5 - Gb
5 - G
b6 - Ab
6 - A
b7 - Bb
7 - B
8 - C
so we have the various intervals with C being the reference note.
a flat third or minor third with reference to C is a Eb.
a perfect fifth with reference to C is a G and so on. you get the picture.
This can be applied for any reference note. Here's an example using Eb as reference.
1 - Eb
b2 - E
2 - F
b3 - Gb
3 - G
4 - Ab
b5 - A
5 - Bb
b6 - B
6 - C
b7 - Db
7 - D
8 - Eb
Piece of cake. Like I said just remember the interval and the note order and you're done !
CHARACTERISTICS OF INTERVALS:
Ok.. Now, lets take it one step further and. Each of these intervals have a certain quality and the usage of these note impact the musical piece as a whole.
We can rate the intervals from dissonant (very unstable and not pleasing to the the ear), imperfect consonance (not that stable but you don't have anything against it either... think of it as a friend of friend of a friend with a weird habit who's made to sit next to you during a big dinner party) and perfect consonant (very stable and pleasing to the ear).
Try playing each interval with the root and actually LISTEN to the tonal characteristics. If you have human ears you'll end up assigning these attributes to each interval.
1 - Root - Consonance (obviously)
b2 - Dissonance
2 - Dissonance
b3 - Imperfect Consonance
3 - Imperfect Consonance
4 - Perfect Consonance
b5 - Dissonance
5 - Perfect Consonance
b6 - Imperfect Consonance
6 - Imperfect Consonance
b7 - Dissonance
7 - Dissonance
8 - Octave - Perfect Consonance
So, the next time you hear a melody or a simple song, you should be able to figure out which interval influences it and gives it flavor.
A perfect example is "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath. The strong disturbing nature of the diminished fifth (b5) interval imparts a very dark quality which compliments the lyrics, the mood and Ozzy's haunting vocals.
So, the next time you hear a melody or a simple song, you should be able to figure out which interval influences it and gives it flavor.
A perfect example is "Black Sabbath" by Black Sabbath. The strong disturbing nature of the diminished fifth (b5) interval imparts a very dark quality which compliments the lyrics, the mood and Ozzy's haunting vocals.
Initially, it's not necessary to be pitch perfect but you need to have a good idea about relative pitches.
There's a simple way to get used to the sound of various intervals. By using songs !!
1 - Root
b2 - Remember the typical 2 chord spanish guitar bull fighting stuff :P
2 - Happy Birthday ! the underlined part is a major 2nd interval
b3 - I always think of the first bar of "Californication" by RHCP. The first guitar lick ends on a b3
3 - the second "na" in Hey Jude.
4 - That howling into of the Good, the Bad & the Ugly theme.. its just root n fourth howled rapidly
b5 - Black Sabbath by Black Sabbath
5 - The second note of the Star Wars Theme
b6 - "Take a bow" by Muse.
6 - The typical rock n roll riffing where you play the power chord and throw in the 6th alternatively.
b7 - Helter Skelter.. the first has a chord prominent flat seventh interval (key of the song in reference)
7 - Superman Theme
8 - My Sharonnah ! :D
FINDING YOUR INTERVALS:
What you read above is the general music theory. Best part of it is, it can be applied to any damn instrument. So how do you apply it to you bass and locate these intervals?
First, You need to know the notes on the fret board. I think you'll find this crap online on any guitar tutorial site but be a bit smarter and learn them (its not rocket science ) on your own. Works better that way. Second, before we get into diagrams, figures n shit like that, let me brief you on the importance of patterns. I can't stress enough on the importance of learning various patterns especially for the guitars and bass as its a very symmetric instrument. On stage, I don't think any of us will be a able to think note by note while playing. Its mentally impossible. Patterns help us to remember where the nice friendly notes. Plus the symmetry of the fret board helps us to utilize one single pattern in many ways. so remember to learn and work on your patterns. ITS ALL ABOUT PATTERNS PEOPLE !!!
The pattern below shows you where the intervals are located within 2 or 3 frets. So make sure you memorize this pattern. This will be really really useful when you're learning chords.
(apologies for the lousy fret board representation, this was done in a hurry)
Not that difficult it is ? ;)
The root is on the E string in this diagram but its really versatile and can be applied anywhere on the fret board using any reference note on any string. So make use of the symmetry of the instrument.
Ok... Here's some fun stuff called,
INVERSION OF INTERVALS:
An interval is inverted if we change it's sequence. So a C to D is inverted to D to C.
D is a Major 2nd of C. Inversely C is Minor seventh of D.
2 + 7 = 9
The intervals add up to 9.
This applies for all intervals. The inversion and the original intervals all add up to 9 !
So here's how inversion works.
1. minor intervals become major n wise verse (minor 3rd ---> major 6th, major 2nd ---> minor 7th)
2. The diminished becomes augmented (diminished 5th ---> augmented 4th... which is pretty much the same thing)
3. The perfect intervals remain perfect (perfect 4 ---> perfect 5)
Now you have a decent basic idea of Intervals and where to find these intervals on the fret board !
But i'm not done yet..
While reading this blog did any of you actually bother to question the
ORIGIN OF INTERVALS ?!!
So another lesson: Remember that the history of a musical concept is as important as the concept itself. They were born outta necessity and not randomly. Understanding the history will help us understand the application of the concept. So, plz take that extra effort to read a little about the origin of musical ideas. It'll help you understand it better.
So, how did the whole idea of intervals come about ?
As legend goes, the great Greek mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras (yeah that same s.o.b who did the right angled triangle theorem stuff) was walking by a blacksmiths shop when he noticed that certain sounds of the hammers on the anvils sounded more consonant (more stable or more pleasing to the ear) than others. Upon investigation, he discovered that the nicer sounds came from hammers whose weights were in simple proportions like 2:1, 3:2 and 4:3.
But our pal didn't keep quiet. He and his homies conducted further musical experiments with the Monochord, which is wooden block with one string and a movable wedge. One end of the string was fixed while the other was hung with a weight to maintain some tension (like a guitar).
What he discovered was when he moved the wedge he got various sounds for various ratios.
For a 2:1 (or 2/1) ratio he got an octave interval (the wedge was placed in such a way that the longer side is exactly 2 times the length of the shorter side). Then he found the perfect 4th & perfect 5th intervals for 4:3 and a 3:2 ratio, respectively. These were the most consonant sounds. The other intervals were found using the same method using different ratios
1 - 1:1
b2 - 16:15
2 - 9:8
b3 - 6:5
3 - 5:4
4 - 4:3
b5 - 7:5
5 - 3:2
b6 - 8:5
6 - 5:3
b7 - 9:5
7 - 15:8
8 - 2:1
Interestingly enough if you multiply the ratios of inverse n the original it you always get 2
ex: 7 (major 7th) and its harmonic inverse b2 (minor 2nd)
(15/18) * (16/15) = 2
or b6(minor sixth and its harmonic inverse 3 (major3)
(8/5)*(5/4)=2
cool eh?
The Pythagorean clan became convinced that basic musical harmony could be expressed through simple ratios of whole numbers.Their general belief was that, lower the numbers in the ratio, the better the notes sounded together. Thus, the natural building blocks of mathematics (small whole numbers) we realigned with the natural interval relationships used to create harmonious music !
This was ages ago. Today we follow something called the Equal Temperament system of determining intervals to tune our instruments in which every pair of adjacent notes has an identical frequency ratio.
Our reference is the A note at 440 Hz called A440.
So....
I hope you found this a little useful at least.
And do practice and work on intervals. Its one of the overlooked and ignored topics in standard music courses. Make sure you understand the basics before you start working on the masterpiece.
Peace and bread sticks,
Leslie.
And do practice and work on intervals. Its one of the overlooked and ignored topics in standard music courses. Make sure you understand the basics before you start working on the masterpiece.
Peace and bread sticks,
Leslie.
Awesome :) still slowly sinking in but super usful.
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