Fundamentals
Reading Intervals at Sight: Generic and Specific
Naming an interval at sight takes two passes: count the staff positions first, then judge what the accidental does to the size.
Compound interval
An interval larger than an octave, such as a tenth or twelfth, made of a simple interval plus one or more octaves.
Also called: compound third, tenth, twelfth, compound fifth
A compound interval is an interval larger than an octave, made of a simple interval plus one or more octaves. A tenth is a third plus an octave, so C up to E in the next octave is a major tenth with 16 semitones. A twelfth is a fifth plus an octave, so C up to G in the next octave is a perfect twelfth with 19 semitones. The simple interval gives the quality: a minor third plus an octave is a minor tenth, and a perfect fifth plus an octave is a perfect twelfth. Naming the simple interval first and then adding the octave makes large leaps easier to recognise at sight. For analysis and inversion, a compound interval is reduced to its simple form.
Related terms
- IntervalThe distance between two pitches, measured by the number of letter names it spans and by the number of semitones.
- OctaveThe interval of twelve semitones between two notes with the same name, where the upper note vibrates at twice the frequency.
- Interval inversionReversing an interval by moving its lower note up an octave, which turns a third into a sixth and a fifth into a fourth.
- Perfect intervalA unison, fourth, fifth or octave, which has one standard size and becomes augmented or diminished when widened or narrowed.