Inverting Intervals

| 2.1 Specific Intervals | Back to Music Theory Lessons | 2.3 Triads |

In music inverting refers to the process of moving the bottom note from a specific group, up by an octave. Before reading this music theory lesson, please make sure you're well informed about generic intervals and specific intervals.

When you invert an interval the new interval changes, which may sound complicated but it is not as these changes follow a certain set of simple rules, which are outlined here in figure 36.

Let's now look at an example of inverting intervals to clarify how these rules should be followed:

If you are familiar with the previous lesson, specific intervals, then you will be able to see that the interval before the inversion is a "Diminished Fourth", as it is a fourth with 4 semitones difference. Now according to the rules set out in figure 36, a fourth will always invert to a fifth, and a diminished will always invert to an augmented. Therefore we can now determine that if we invert a "Diminished Fourth" we will end up with an "Augmented Fifth".

| 2.1 Specific Intervals | Back to Music Theory Lessons | 2.3 Triads |