5.3: How to Write Perfect, Major, and Minor Intervals
5.3 How to Write Perfect, Major, and Minor Intervals
To write an interval above a given note, use the two methods given below.
If you are asked to write a minor sixth above the note AA, start with the AA major scale and key signature. In AA major, there is an FF♯, which is a major sixth above the note AA. Therefore, FF♮ is a minor sixth above AA.
Alternatively, you can simply count the number of half steps. If you know there are 8 half steps in a minor sixth, you can count from AA up to FF.
Writing small intervals up to a major third below a given note is straightforward using a combination of whole and half steps. However, to write larger intervals below a given note, it is sometimes helpful to invert the interval first ( Inversion of Intervals Explained is discussed in the next section).