Generic Intervals

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Intervals refer to the distance between 2 different notes. Generic intervals are a simple way of referring to these distances between notes and are the foundation upon which more complex terminology is based.

The interval between 2 notes that are on the same level is called a "First", or "Prime".

Figure 30 shows 3 different examples (shown in different colors) of intervals that are firsts. The thing to note here is that these all count as firsts, irrespective of the accidentals.

If 2 notes are separated by one level on the staff, the interval is called a "Second". A "Third" refers to the interval between 2 notes that are separated by 2 levels, and the rest of the generic intervals follow on in a similar fashion. They are shown here in figure 31:

As I mentioned before keep in mind that accidentals do not matter for generic intervals.

| 1.9 Key Signatures | Back to Music Theory Lessons | 2.1 Specific Intervals |