Name That Interval! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Major Third

Usually associated with any major mode (obviously), the major third is an interval of 2 whole steps.

Answer: Perfect Fifth

The perfect fifth is an interval of 3 and a half steps, or 7 half steps. In stringed instruments, playing the root note and the perfect fifth simultaneously is known as a "power chord", and is commonly used in rock music.

Answer: Augmented Fourth

The augmented fourth is an interval of 3 steps. It is better known (well, really only to metal music fans or blues fans) as the tri-tone. It sits right in between the perfect fourth and the perfect fifth. Playing the root and then an augmented fourth above it makes a very evil sound.

It is said that during the 17th century the Spaniards banned that interval from all of their churches, saying that playing that interval would bring forth the Devil. Wouldn't be surprised if it did, either! A lot of rock, mainly metal, is famous for using the augmented fourth to produce that "evil" feeling.

Some good examples of use of the augmented fourth are Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath" and "Children of the Grave", and Metallica's "Blackened".

Answer: Doubly Diminished Fifth

The perfect fourth is an interval of 2 and a half steps, or 5 half steps. It is another interval which is used commonly in metal music. Bands like Iron Maiden have brought a whole new sound to their music while using the perfect fourth double-stop (playing the root and perfect fourth simultaneously) in their music.

Answer: Minor Third

This is your standard minor third, which is an interval of 1 and a half steps, or 3 half steps. Just about the same as a major third, only this third is one half step lower. Sure, there's only a difference in notes of one half step, but the difference in sound is all it takes to either make your key major or minor.

Answer: A#

A major seventh is just a hair short of a perfect eighth, or octave. 5 and a half steps, or 11 steps, or, of course, a major seventh, separate a B and a higher A#.

Answer: C

A perfect fifth is three and a half steps, or 7 half steps, and separates an F and a higher C. As I believe I stated earlier, it is commonly used in rock, especially modern rock. It is called a "perfect" fifth because it is one of the purest sounding intervals, the perfect eighth (octave), of course, being the absolute purest.

Answer: E

A minor second, just one half step, is the interval separating a D# and an E. A lot of times a half step interval only comes into use if, of course, the certain scale or mode you're playing allows it, or if you're doing a chromatic scale, which consists of every half step available, totalling 12 notes until you hit the root note again.

The blues scale also uses sparing use of minor seconds. It is common in rock to hear the two notes, the root and minor second, being trilled back and forth. A good example of this is Black Sabbath's "Black Sabbath".

Answer: B

Just one half step higher than a minor second, one major second, which is an interval of one whole step, is what separates an A and a higher B. Once again, this is used when the scale or mode you're playing calls for it, and it is, once again, commonly used in blues and many, many other genres. Also, it is not uncommon to hear the root and the major second be trilled as well, and in some cases (guitar soloing, basically) you may hear the two notes trilled and then the guitar player will hit the whammy bar, creating the effect that the notes are getting lower in pitch.

A great example of this can be found in the first solo of Iron Maiden's "Rime of the Ancient Mariner".

Answer: False

Actually, the interval between an F# and a higher C# is a perfect fifth, not perfect fourth. A perfect fourth above an F# would be a B, since a B is 2 and a half steps, or 5 steps, above an F#.