Seconds, sevenths and the tritone by ear
Recognise the tense intervals and tell a second from a seventh, up and down.
Seconds
Seconds are neighbouring notes. One after the other they sound like a step of a melody; together, like two notes rubbing.
- Major second up: "Happy Birthday", its second and third notes.
- Minor second up: the shark theme from "Jaws", two menacing neighbouring notes.
A major second: C4 and D4
A minor second: E4 and F4
Practice: Major or minor second?
Sevenths
A seventh is almost an octave, one step short. The ear expects the note to reach the octave, and that makes the seventh tense.
- Minor seventh up: "Somewhere" from "West Side Story", its first two notes.
- Major seventh: sharper still, only a semitone short of the octave.
A minor seventh: C4 and B♭4
A major seventh: C4 and B4
How do you tell a second from a seventh when the notes sound together? A second is a dense, rubbing sound; a seventh is wide and prickly. Try singing the upper note in your head: if it is close to the lower one, it is a second.
Practice: Major or minor seventh?
Practice: Second or seventh?
The tritone
The tritone is three whole tones, exactly half an octave: an augmented fourth or a diminished fifth. It sounds unstable and uneasy, as if it cannot decide where to go. "Maria" from "West Side Story" helps you remember it: its first two notes.
A tritone wants to resolve: its notes move apart or together by a semitone.
The tritone F4–B4 and its resolution: E4–C5