Major Second Interval

1Composition: what it contains

Semitones

2

Abbreviation

M2

Inversion

minor seventh

Consonance

dissonance

2Appearance: diagrams and sound

3Indications: what it is used for

Most steps in the major and minor scales are major seconds, so this interval drives nearly every stepwise melody. Harmonically it appears in sus2 chords, add9 chords, the ninth of extended chords, and cluster voicings in modern piano. It is the building block of the whole-tone scale. On guitar, it is the distance covered by a whole-step bend, one of the most common expressive techniques.

4Dosage: how to practise it

On guitar it is two frets; on piano two keys apart counting black keys. Sing and play the first two notes of a major scale and compare them with a minor second. Practise whole-step bends on guitar, checking the target pitch with a fretted reference note. Use an ear trainer three to five minutes per day, alternating ascending, descending and harmonic intervals. Play the whole-tone scale slowly to hear consecutive major seconds.

Train it in the ear trainer

5Warnings and common mistakes

Do not confuse it with a diminished third, which sounds the same but is spelled with letters a third apart. A major second between notes with accidentals still keeps adjacent letter names. Whole-step bends are often under-bent; check them with a tuner. Harmonically it is a mild dissonance: in close voicings in a low register it can sound muddy.

6Other presentations available

• Perfect Unison Interval
• Minor Second Interval
• Minor Third Interval
• Major Third Interval
• Perfect Fourth Interval
• Tritone Interval
• Perfect Fifth Interval
• Minor Sixth Interval
• Major Sixth Interval
• Minor Seventh Interval
• Major Seventh Interval
• Perfect Octave Interval