Today we will talk about how to build characteristic intervals in any key: in the major or in the minor. First you need to understand what are characteristic intervals in general, how they appear and at what levels they are built.
First of all, the characteristic intervals are intervals, that is, combinations of two sounds in a melody or harmony. Intervals are different: clean, small, large, etc. In this case, we will be interested in extended and reduced intervals, namely, increased second and fifth, reduced septim and quarte (there are only four, they are very easily remembered - uh2uv5 mind7mind4).
These intervals are called characteristic because they appear only in harmonic major or minor in connection with “characteristic” for these types of major and minor raised and low steps. What does that mean? As is known, the sixth step is lowered in the harmonic major, and the seventh is raised in the harmonic minor.
So, in any of the four characteristic intervals, surely one of the sounds (lower or upper) will be this “characteristic” step (VI low, if it is major, or VII high, if we are in minor).
How to build characteristic intervals?
We now turn directly to the question of how to construct characteristic intervals in a minor or in a major. This is done very simply. First you need to provide the necessary tonality, write, if necessary, its key signs, and calculate what kind of sound is “characteristic” here. And then you can move in two ways.
First way comes from the following axiom: all four characteristic intervals revolve around the "characteristic step". See how it works.
Example 1. Characteristic intervals in C major and minor
Example 2. Characteristic intervals in F major and F minor
Example 3. Characteristic intervals in A major and A minor
In all these examples, we clearly see how any extended seconds with reduced quarts literally “spin” around our magic step (I remind you that in the major “magic step” is the sixth, and in minor, the seventh). In the first example, these steps are highlighted with a yellow marker.
Second way - also an option: just build the necessary intervals on the right steps, especially since we already know one sound. In this case, you will be greatly helped by this tablet (it is recommended to sketch yourself in a notebook):
There is one secret with which this tablet can be easily remembered. Wrinkle your mustache in major, all extended intervals are built on a reduced sixth step, in a minor all reduced intervals are built on a raised seventh!
How can this secret help us? First, we already know at what level two intervals of four are built (either a pair of reduced ones - a quart and a septima, or a pair of enlarged ones - a fifth and a second).
Secondly, having built this pair of intervals (for example, both extended), we almost automatically get the second pair of characteristic intervals (both reduced) - it is enough just to “turn it upside down” what we have built.
Why is that? Yes, because some intervals simply turn into others according to the principle of mirror reflection: a second turns into a septim, a quart into a quint, reduced intervals when turning become longer, and vice versa ... Do not believe? See for yourself!
Example 4. Characteristic intervals in D major and D minor
Example 5. Characteristic intervals in G major and G minor
How are characteristic intervals resolved in major and minor?
Characteristic intervals of consonance are unstable and require proper resolution to stable tonic consonances. Here is a simple rule: at resolution in tonic increased interval
Aly need to increase, and reduced - to reduce.
At the same time, any unstable sound just goes into the nearest stable one. And in a couple of intervals uv5- mind4 in general, it is necessary to allow only one sound (an “interesting” stage), since the second sound in these intervals is a stable third stage, which remains in place. And our “interesting” steps are always resolved in the same way: the reduced sixth tends to the fifth, and the raised seventh to the first.
So it turns out that an extended second is allowed to a clean quart, and a reduced septim is allowed to a clean fifth; the increased fifth, when enlarged, changes into a large sixth when resolved, and the reduced quart, decreasing, passes into a small third.
Example 6. Characteristic intervals in E major and minor
Example 7. Characteristic intervals in B major and B minor
Talk about these fun intervals can, of course, continue indefinitely, but we will now stop at this. I will add just a few more words: do not confuse characteristic intervals with tritons. Yes, indeed, a second pair of newts appears in the harmonic modes (one pair of4 with mind5 there is also in diatonic), however, we consider tritons separately. You can read more about tritons here.
I wish you success in studying music! Take it as a rule: I liked the material - share it with a friend, using social buttons!
Leave Your Comment