Dissonant Intervals

Introduction

Intervals can be classified into three categories:

  • Perfect Consonance;
  • Imperfect Consonance; and
  • Dissonant.

(Aside: The consonance or dissonance of an interval depends on its place in the overtone series. I will cover this is a separate course.)

Dissonant Intervals

The intervals are classified as follows:

Perfect ConsonanceImperfect ConsonanceDissonance
Perfect UnisonMinor 3rdMinor 2nd
Perfect OctaveMajor 3rdMajor 2nd
Perfect 5thMinor 6thMinor 7th
Perfect 4thMajor 6thMajor 7th
Tritone
Minor 9th (8av + semitone)

(Aside: Consonance and dissonance is subjective, some people classify the Perfect 4th as imperfect or dissonant; and others classify the Major 2nd and minor 7th as imperfect.)

You can use dissonant intervals to build tension in your solo and then resolve the tension by retreating to a consonant interval (or a Guide Tone).

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