Interval: The distance between two pitches Half step: The smallest distance on a piano, one key to the very next key Whole step: Two half steps Unison (perfect 1st): Two notes on the same pitch Major 2nd: Two half steps Major 3rd: Four half steps Minor 3rd: Three half steps Perfect 4th: Five half steps Tritone (augmented 4th): Six half steps Perfect 5th: Seven half steps Minor 6th: Eight half steps Major 6th: Nine half steps Minor 7th: Ten half steps Major 7th: Eleven half steps Perfect octave: Twelve half steps, same note name at a higher pitch Minor 2nd: One half step Consonance: Intervals that sound stable and pleasant Dissonance: Intervals that sound tense and want to resolve Major scale pattern: W W H W W W H Natural minor scale pattern: W H W W H W W Harmonic minor scale: Natural minor with a raised 7th Melodic minor scale (ascending): Natural minor with raised 6th and 7th Chromatic scale: All twelve half steps in an octave Pentatonic scale: A five-note scale Whole tone scale: A six-note scale made only of whole steps Blues scale: A minor pentatonic scale with an added flat fifth Scale degree 1: Tonic Scale degree 2: Supertonic Scale degree 3: Mediant Scale degree 4: Subdominant Scale degree 5: Dominant Scale degree 6: Submediant Scale degree 7: Leading tone Octave: Interval where the higher note vibrates at twice the frequency Chord: Three or more notes sounded together Triad: A three-note chord built from stacked thirds Root: The note a chord is named for and built on Major triad: Root, major third, perfect fifth Minor triad: Root, minor third, perfect fifth Diminished triad: Root, minor third, diminished fifth Augmented triad: Root, major third, augmented fifth Dominant seventh chord: A major triad plus a minor seventh Major seventh chord: A major triad plus a major seventh Minor seventh chord: A minor triad plus a minor seventh Suspended 4th (sus4): Chord with the third replaced by the fourth First inversion: A chord with its third in the bass Second inversion: A chord with its fifth in the bass Root position: A chord with its root in the bass Arpeggio: The notes of a chord played one after another Chord progression: A series of chords played in order I chord: Tonic chord, built on the first scale degree V chord: Dominant chord, built on the fifth scale degree IV chord: Subdominant chord, built on the fourth scale degree I-IV-V: A very common progression of chords in rock, folk and blues Twelve-bar blues: A 12-measure chord pattern built on I, IV and V Cadence: A chord pair that ends a musical phrase Authentic cadence: V chord to I chord Plagal cadence: IV chord to I chord C major triad notes: C E G G major triad notes: G B D F major triad notes: F A C A minor triad notes: A C E D minor triad notes: D F A C major scale notes: C D E F G A B C G major scale notes: G A B C D E F# G F major scale notes: F G A Bb C D E F Free flashcards from Peabody at peabody.kids/flashcards/music-intervals-chords-scales