Hey Friend,
Next in line is the Major Sixth interval.
Where the perfect fifth sounded like it was a nice complement to the tonic, almost a resting place in the scale, the major sixth instills a sense of movement. You’ll feel a tension to move up towards the octave.
It’s as if the perfect octave is drawing you towards it, like a Count Dracula compelling you forward with his eyes, against your will…
Come closer… Closer... Mwa ha ha ha ha!
Here’s where we’re at:
Tonic - we call this the root note most of the time; it’s the first note of the scale. In the key of C major, this note would be C.
Major Second - this is one whole step (tone) above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be D.
Major Third - two hole steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be E.
Perfect Fourth - five half-steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be F.
Perfect Fifth - seven half-steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be G.
Major Sixth - nine half-steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be A.
Major Seventh - eleven half-steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be B.
Perfect Octave - six whole steps above the tonic. In the key of C major, this note would be C.
In the key of C major, that is the shift from C to A. When we look at the scale pattern, we see it’s four whole steps (tones) and a half step (semitone).
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 (8)
C D E F G A B (C)
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W W H W W W H
When you listen to the MP3 examples, I want you to pay special attention to the emotional tone of the major sixth. With each of the three example songs, the first interval you encounter is a major sixth, and these set the feel immediately.
You can tell the song will have a melancholy vibe right off the bat. It’s sorta like playing “Name That Tune,” except instead of the song name, you’re naming how the song makes you feel in three notes or less!
Just so you know, the “St. Elmo’s Fire” example is not from the song by John Parr (Man in Motion). It is the Love Theme from the movie (please forgive the cheesy video).
Gotta roll, see ya tomorrow.
Peace~
Dave
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