PHASE
CLEF
ROOT NOTE
INTERVAL
DIRECTION
Unison
KEYBOARD
THE KEYBOARD PATTERN
Half Step (H)
Whole Step (W)
A half step is the distance between any key and the very next key — no keys in between.
A whole step is two half steps — there's always one key in between.
A whole step is two half steps — there's always one key in between.
E→F and B→C are natural half steps — no black key between them.
All other adjacent natural notes are whole steps.
All other adjacent natural notes are whole steps.
TRY IT — TAP TWO ADJACENT KEYS
Tap a key to start
HOW INTERVAL QUALITY WORKS
In Phase 1, you learned that the distance from C up to E is a 3rd. But not all 3rds are the same size — some span 4 half steps, others span 3. That difference is the interval's quality.
There are two families of intervals:
PERFECT
Unison · 4th · 5th · Octave
These intervals have one natural size
MAJOR / MINOR
2nd · 3rd · 6th · 7th
These come in two sizes — major (larger) and minor (smaller)
To find the quality, count the half steps between the two notes on the keyboard. For example: C to E = 4 half steps = Major 3rd. C to E♭ = 3 half steps = Minor 3rd.
CLEF
ROOT NOTE
INTERVAL
DIRECTION
Perfect Unison
KEYBOARD
AUGMENTED & DIMINISHED
In Phase 3, you learned that intervals come in Perfect, Major, and Minor qualities. But intervals can be stretched or shrunk further:
AUGMENTED
One half step larger than Perfect or Major
DIMINISHED
One half step smaller than Perfect or Minor
The pattern:
Perfect intervals: dim ← Perfect → aug
Major/Minor intervals: dim ← minor ← Major → aug
Perfect intervals: dim ← Perfect → aug
Major/Minor intervals: dim ← minor ← Major → aug
For example: C to F = 5 half steps = Perfect 4th. C to F♯ = 6 half steps = Augmented 4th (the tritone).
CLEF
ROOT NOTE
INTERVAL
DIRECTION
Perfect Unison
KEYBOARD