The concept of intervals is closely tied to the guitar fretboard. Understanding intervals and their relationship to the fretboard is fundamental for playing melodies, chords, and scales on the guitar.
Intervals are the distance or pitch relationship between two notes. They measure the space between two pitches and help define the musical relationships between them. Intervals are described in terms of their specific names (unison, second, third, etc.) and their distance in terms of steps or half steps (semitones).
Intervals on the Guitar Fretboard
On the guitar, each fret represents a half step (one semitone) in pitch. This layout makes it relatively straightforward to visualize and play intervals. Here’s how you can understand intervals on the guitar fretboard:
- Unison: Playing the same note on adjacent strings or at different frets on the same string.
- Second: Moving one fret higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Third: Moving two frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Fourth: Moving three frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Fifth: Moving four frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Sixth: Moving five frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Seventh: Moving six frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
- Octave: Moving twelve frets higher or lower on the same string or adjacent strings.
By understanding the physical distance between frets and strings, you can visualize and play different intervals on the guitar.
Interval Patterns
Interval patterns on the guitar refer to the consistent shapes or fingerings that allow you to play specific intervals across the fretboard. For example, the major scale pattern on the guitar is a foundational interval pattern that can be moved up and down the neck to play different major scales in different keys. Similarly, power chords, which are commonly used in rock and pop music, are built on the interval of a perfect fifth and have consistent shapes that can be played across different frets and strings.
Melodies and Chords
Understanding intervals helps you play melodies and chords on the guitar. For melodies, you can use interval patterns to navigate different scales and play melodies by moving between intervals. When constructing chords, you can use interval relationships to determine the specific notes needed to build a chord shape or voicing.
Ear Training and Intervals
Developing your ear for intervals is crucial for recognizing and reproducing melodies, harmonies, and chords. By training your ear to identify different intervals, you can play melodies by ear, transcribe music accurately, and improvise more effectively.