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5.5: Augmented and Diminished Intervals

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    117415
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    5.5 Augmented and Diminished Intervals

    Augmented intervals are one half step larger than perfect or major intervals and diminished intervals are one half step smaller than perfect or minor intervals.

    Remember that perfect intervals (unisons, fourths, fifths, and octaves) can never be major or minor, and major and minor intervals (seconds, thirds, sixths, and sevenths) can never be perfect in quality. However, any size of interval can be augmented or diminished.

    interval-quality-continuum.svg

    Here are musical examples illustrating the continuum of interval quality.

    intervals-d-P-A.svg

    intervals-d-m-M-A.svg


    This page titled 5.5: Augmented and Diminished Intervals is shared under a GNU Free Documentation License 1.3 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Robert Hutchinson via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.