Min 3rd

I'm a little unsure of what it means ,let's say naming notes of any scale,chord ect,and there's a root ok no prob there now there's a min third,fourth,ect.can anyone pls help me understand this pls.thanks,every scale or chord that's all I hear but no explanation ,another one is a perfect 5th.......

Originally Posted by: axe2I'm a little unsure of what it means ,let's say naming notes of any scale,chord ect,and there's a root ok no prob there now there's a min third,fourth,ect.can anyone pls help me understand this pls.thanks,every scale or chord that's all I hear but no explanation ,another one is a perfect 5th.......

We name intervals in order to tag each unique sound with a unique name. The sound of a major 3rd interval is the sound that happens when we play 2 notes that are 2 whole steps (or 4 frets) apart. The sound of of a minor 3rd is the sound that happens when we play 2 notes that are 1 1/2 steps (or 3 frets) apart.

Play the note C, then play the note E. The distance between them is a major 3rd. Play them together. That is the sound of the interval called a major 3rd.

Play the note C, then play the note E-flat. The distance between them is a minor 3rd. Play them together. That is the sound of the interval called a minor 3rd.

All the interval names are how we keep all those different possible sounds
mentally identified & organized.

I cover the topic of intervals in depth in GF2.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=362

Then I use that discuss of intervals to cover scales in depth.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=363

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=445

Have a look through those first. Then, if you have more questions I've covered a lot of those in my instructor forum. For example:

http://www.guitartricks.com/forum/showthread.php?t=38333&highlight=major+3rd+scale+interval

Hope this helps! Ask more if necessary. :)

Thank You BUT I MAY NOT BE READING U RIGHT,I UNDERSTAND WHAT UR SAYIN,EXEPT FOR WHEN U SAID PLAY 2 NOTES,I GET THE INTERVAL FROM MJ,TO MINOR.WHEN I SEEN THE VIDEO THE GUY WAS BASICALLY WALKIN DOWN THE SCALE NAMEING THE NOTES STARTIN WITH THE ROOT,THEN I THINK IT WAS M3RD 5TH 7TH 9TH ECT THAT SOUNDS MJ ,I JUST DONT GET IT WHEN YOU SAID PLAY THE TWO NOTES.....THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR UR HELP.AND I WILL TAKE THE COUSES JUST NEED A LITTLE HELP WITH THE 2 NOTE PART.

Originally Posted by: CSchlegelThe sound of a major 3rd interval is the sound that happens when we play 2 notes that are 2 whole steps (or 4 frets) apart. The sound of of a minor 3rd is the sound that happens when we play 2 notes that are 1 1/2 steps (or 3 frets) apart.

You might be over-thinking it Axe... when Christopher explains stuff, he speaks in layman's terms, and makes every effort to remove room for misinterpretation. So what I quoted above, he means that literally. Any note on its own on the fretboard isn't a major 3rd or minor 3rd or really anything but the note it is. You need the root note (so the first note you'll play) in order to create an interval (the second note you play).

Read the above quote again, but this time with your guitar in hand. Play any note, that's the first note, then move up 2 whole steps, in other words, move up 4 frets on the guitar. That note, in relation to the first note you played is a major 3rd. Make sense? Play the same first note, then play the note 1 1/2 steps, which is 3 frets, apart, and that note is a minor 3rd from the first note.

Playing these notes separately like this is playing part of a scale. The different intervals between the root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th (the octave) will define what kind of scale you're playing, while the root note will define the key. When we play intervals together using multiple strings, we create chords. Hope that makes sense.

Its always good when you're working on this stuff to play the root, then the interval you're trying to hear. If you're trying to get the feel of a mode like Dorian for example, droning the root note while playing the scale really helps you hear what the scale sounds like.

First, thanks to Slipin Lizard for clarifying my comments. Well done! :)

Originally Posted by: axe2...EXEPT FOR WHEN U SAID PLAY 2 NOTES,I GET THE INTERVAL FROM MJ,TO MINOR.[/quote]
All intervals imply a distance between 2 notes. Regarding scale intervals this means every note is measured by it's physical & auditory distance from the root note.

Major 3rd is the distance between the root note and the major 3rd.
Minor 3rd is the distance between the root note and the minor 3rd.
5th is the distance between the root note and the 5th.
And so on.

So, if we pick C to be the root note, you play the two notes C & E you are playing 2 notes that are a distance of a major third apart. You can play them separately.

|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--3----7------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|

Or you can play them together. You have to play them on separate strings in order to do this, of course. But it's still the same distance between the notes, which means that it creates the same sound.

|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|
|--2-----------------------------------------|
|--3-----------------------------------------|
|--------------------------------------------|

[QUOTE=axe2]
WHEN I SEEN THE VIDEO THE GUY WAS BASICALLY WALKIN DOWN THE SCALE NAMEING THE NOTES STARTIN WITH THE ROOT,THEN I THINK IT WAS M3RD 5TH 7TH 9TH ECT THAT SOUNDS MJ ,I JUST DONT GET IT WHEN YOU SAID PLAY THE TWO NOTES

All those numbers are intervals that form a scale. They are the scale degrees. That is all covered in GF2 Chapter 1 after the intervals tutorial.

This tutorial covers scale degrees as intervals in depth.

http://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=363

Give it watch & let me know how it goes!

Thanks ,yeah That Makes Alot Of Sence.that 2 Note Through Me Off,thanks For Clairifying It.good Job Slip.

Thank You Chris,you Both Been A Big Help.ill Let Ya Know,but I At Least Have A Better Understandin Now...man That Was Driveing Me Crazy Not Knowing What It Meant ,everytime I Heard Mj3rd Min3rd Ect.

Originally Posted by: axe2Thank You Chris,you Both Been A Big Help.ill Let Ya Know,but I At Least Have A Better Understandin Now...

You are welcome!

I think if you go through the Guitar Fundamentals Course it will clear up a lot of this for you. :)

Happy holidays!

So I Think I Have It Now.the 3rd 5th 7th 9th Ect.are The Distance From The Root Not.someone Give Me An Amen.but Really Thats One Of My Reason I Love Gt,there Is Always Someone Ready To Lend There Help.in This Case A Huge Thank You Too Chris,and Slipinn Liz.thank You Guys So Much.merrychristmas.i Hope Santa Gives You What U Want.
SPOKE TOO SOON, THATS MY BAD HABBIT.
THERE'S MORE TO IT THEN THAT ALONE.

D Mj
D -root
E-second Note
F#mj 3rd-2ws
G-4th Note
A-5th Note
B-mj 6th-6th Note-2ws From 4th Note
C#mj 7th 2 Ws From A 5th Note
D-octave.
Distance From Root,or One From Another.?
Gettin Closer Thats Whats Inportant Here
Im Not The Fasest Learner By Anymeans
Ill Be The First To Say That.....thanks Again Guys....

Originally Posted by: axe2
Distance From Root,or One From Another.?

Good question! The answer is both depending on what you want to measure.

1. In general, there is a distance between any two notes. That distance is measured & called out by some interval.

2. Specifically, when we call out scale degrees they are always measure from the root.

So, the distance from F# to A is always a minor 3rd. Regardless of any scale you find those notes in, they are 3 frets apart, or 1 and a half steps apart.

However, if you specify that you are in the key of D major, then:

1. F# is the major 3rd because of its distance from the root D.
2. A is the 5th because of its distance from the root D.

Another example! If you specify that you are in the key of G major, then:

1. F# is the major 7th because of its distance from the root G.
2. A is the 2nd because of its distance from the root G.

Hope that helps clarify things further! Happy holidays to you also!

Originally Posted by: axe2
Im Not The Fasest Learner By Anymeans
Ill Be The First To Say That.....thanks Again Guys....

Me neither Axe, but questions like yours (and of course, Christopher's awesome answers) help me too... good stuff! :)

Thank You Slip,that Makes Feel Better.thanks For Ur Help My Friend.

Intervals C To E -2ws,mj 3rd-from C Mj Scale.
D To F 3 Steps Wh-min 3rd,from D Min Scale.
There Both The 3rd Note Of Each Scale.
I Did Alittle Home Work.

Steps Interval

1 /2 Minor Secound
1 Mj Secound
1 1/2 Min 3rd
2 Mj 3rd-diminshed Fourth
2 1/2 Perfect Fourth
3 Augmented Fourth-diminished Fifth
31/2 Perfect Fifth
4 Augmented Fifth-min 6
41/2 Mj 6
5 Minor Seventh
51/2 Mj Seventh
6 Octave
This Chart Shows The Intervals And Steps Between Them..

I'm pretty sure somebody helped you out by now, but I hope I can add something that clarifies this subject alittle more.

To put it as simple as i possibly can, an interval is the distance from one not to another note within a scale. So, as you already know, from C to E is a third. Now, in order to figure out if it's major or minor, you need to think of C as being the root of the scale in this case and E being the third. So let's look at the scales C major and C minor below:

C major

C,D,E,F,G,A,B

C minor

C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb

C is the first note, and E is the third note in the major scale. By looking at these scales you can see that from C to E is a MAJOR third Why? Because that interval is borrowed from a major scale. So, what do you think C to Eb would be...?

Minor third. Because C to Eb is an interval of a third, and if you think of C as the root and Eb as the third, the only scale that makes sense with this is the C minor scale. Look again:

C,D,Eb,F,G,Ab,Bb
1,2,3

I hope this makes sense to you! But the most important part of any music theory is actually being able to hear it and apply it to your playing. Trust me. There's nothing worse than having all this knowledge, but when somebody asks you to show them through your playing you can't do it. Don't be like that lol. Plus, if you actually play these intervals and hear them, it will make tons more sense to you.

Take care!

Thank You Jeremy,i Think I Have A Good Understanding Of It.,,if Im Right It All Boils Down To Knowing How The Intervals Work On A Maj,,,minor Scale,chord Ect.i Thank You For Ur Input,its Always Good When U Have Several Ppl Explaining It In There Own Words.and Thanks To All Who Helped Me Before You.