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| Natural note
series |
| Western music is based on a series of 7 degrees per octave - the so
called natural note series.These notes are given the names of the first 7
letters of the alphabet: A, B, C, D, E, F and G. The steps from one degree to another, however, are not
equal in size, there are in fact two step sizes: |
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Whole-steps : between C-D, D-E, F-G, G-A, A-B. |
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Half-steps : between E-F, B-C. |
| A whole-step equals 2 half-steps. 12 half-steps
make up an octave. The natural note series forms a specific pattern of whole- and
half-steps by which the ear orientates itself. |
| Intervals |
| The difference in pitch between two notes sounded either simultaneously
or successively is referred to as an interval and indicated in numerals. In
order to determine the interval between two notes, the natural notes that are
involved are added up - the two mentioned and all those in between. |
| Neighboring natural notes thus result in 2 as a
number, as there are no further notes in between. The interval name is
Second; in this program we often write it as 2nd or [2]. As stated above,
the steps between neighboring natural notes are not equal in size, which means that
there must be two kinds of 2nd intervals: |
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Major 2nd [2] - 2 half-steps; between C-D, D-E,
F-G, G-A, A-B. |
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Minor 2nd [b2] - 1 half-step; between E-F, B-C. |
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