{"id":2214842,"date":"2026-08-02T05:55:12","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T03:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/twelve-assistant.com\/music-theory-for-guitar\/music-intervals-guitar\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T05:55:12","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T03:55:12","slug":"music-intervals-guitar","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/twelve-assistant.com\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/music-intervals-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"Music Intervals for Guitar: Thirds, Fifths &#038; More"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"ta-theorie\">\n\n<p class=\"lead\">You already know your guitar has 12 notes and one fret equals a half step (we covered <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/musical-notes-explained\/\">the 12 notes and the half step<\/a> in the previous article). The logical next step: measuring. Because the distance between two notes is what makes a riff sound heroic or ominous, what makes a chord major or minor. This distance has a name: the interval. And there are only 5 you need to know to start.<\/p>\n\n\n<section class=\"direct-answer\" id=\"essentiel\">\n  <h2>The essentials in 30 seconds<\/h2>\n  <p>An <strong>interval<\/strong> is the distance between two notes, measured in half steps (one fret on guitar equals one half step). Five intervals are essential to know: unison (0 half steps), minor third (3 half steps, darker sound), major third (4 half steps, brighter sound), perfect fifth (7 half steps, the power chord sound), and octave (12 half steps, same note higher up). An interval is a distance, not a position: it sounds the same no matter where you start on the neck.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<nav class=\"toc\">\n  <h2>What&#8217;s ahead<\/h2>\n  <ul>\n    <li><a href=\"#distance\">1. What&#8217;s an interval: a distance, not a position<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#essentials\">2. The 5 essential intervals to know<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#thirds\">3. Major or minor third: one fret changes everything<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#fifth\">4. The perfect fifth, the power chord sound<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#fretboard\">5. Playing and recognizing intervals on guitar<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#faq\">Common questions<\/a><\/li>\n    <li><a href=\"#recap\">Summary<\/a><\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n\n<!-- ============ H2: a distance, not a position ============ -->\n<section id=\"distance\">\n  <h2>1. What&#8217;s an interval: a distance, not a position<\/h2>\n\n  <p>An <strong>interval<\/strong> is the distance between two notes. Period. And like any distance, it needs a unit of measurement: the <strong>half step<\/strong>, the one you already know. On the same string, it&#8217;s very concrete: one half step = one fret, so <strong>an interval of N half steps = N frets<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n  <p>One clarification that&#8217;ll save you confusion later: as soon as you play the interval on two different strings, the visual shape changes (frets don&#8217;t count the same way from string to string), but the distance in half steps never changes. That&#8217;s what defines the interval.<\/p>\n\n  <p>And the first of all intervals is <strong>unison<\/strong>: two notes of the same pitch, distance zero. It&#8217;s the starting point of measurement.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"ta-card ta-widget\" data-ta-widget=\"regle-intervalles\">\n    <div class=\"controls\">\n      <div class=\"ta-toggle-group\" data-role=\"mode\">\n        <button type=\"button\" data-val=\"mel\" class=\"on\">Melodic (one after the other)<\/button>\n        <button type=\"button\" data-val=\"har\">Harmonic (together)<\/button>\n      <\/div>\n    <\/div>\n    <svg viewBox=\"0 0 860 190\" role=\"img\" aria-labelledby=\"i1t\" aria-describedby=\"i1d\">\n      <title id=\"i1t\">Interval ruler: 0 to 12 half steps from C<\/title>\n      <desc id=\"i1d\">A graduated ruler from 0 to 12 half steps starting from C. Each colored circle carries the interval name in Twelve Assistant convention (R, b2, M2, b3, M3, P4, b5, P5, b6, M6, b7, M7, P8), with the note name grayed out below, then the number of half steps. Each interval family has its color.<\/desc>\n      <g data-role=\"ruler\"><\/g>\n    <\/svg>\n    <div class=\"readout\" data-role=\"readout\">Click a graduation. C stays the starting note: the chosen distance IS the interval.<\/div>\n    <p class=\"svg-caption\">In each circle, the interval name in Twelve Assistant convention (R for unison, b5 for tritone, P8 for octave&#8230;): the one you&#8217;ll find everywhere in the apps. The note, grayed out below, and the distance in half steps, as a number. An interval is a distance, not a position.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>By the way, you have two ways to hear an interval. The two notes one after the other, like in a riff: that&#8217;s a <strong>melodic interval<\/strong>. The two notes at the same time, like in a chord: that&#8217;s a <strong>harmonic interval<\/strong>. Same distance, two uses. The visual&#8217;s toggle lets you hear both.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- ============ H2: the 5 essentials ============ -->\n<section id=\"essentials\">\n  <h2>2. The 5 essential intervals to know<\/h2>\n\n  <p>Between 0 and 12 half steps, each distance has a name. There&#8217;s a whole family of them (seconds, fourths, sixths, sevenths&#8230; you&#8217;ve encountered a few on the ruler above), and we&#8217;ll meet them throughout the series. But to build most of what you play, <strong>five are enough<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"ta-card ta-widget\" data-ta-widget=\"cinq-essentiels\">\n    <table class=\"ta-intervals\" aria-describedby=\"i2d\">\n      <caption id=\"i2d\" style=\"caption-side:bottom;font-size:.85rem;color:var(--xiia-600);padding-top:.5rem;\">\n        The 5 essential intervals, from C. Click a row to hear it (both notes, then together).\n      <\/caption>\n      <thead>\n        <tr><th scope=\"col\">Interval<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Half steps<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Frets (same string)<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Sound<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Example from C<\/th><\/tr>\n      <\/thead>\n      <tbody>\n        <tr data-semis=\"0\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#131313\"><\/span>Unison<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>Same note<\/td><td>C \u2192 C<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr data-semis=\"3\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E52E40\"><\/span>Minor third<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>Darker<\/td><td>C \u2192 Eb<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr data-semis=\"4\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E52E40\"><\/span>Major third<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>Brighter<\/td><td>C \u2192 E<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr data-semis=\"7\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#2EE574\"><\/span>Perfect fifth<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>Stable, powerful (power chord)<\/td><td>C \u2192 G<\/td><\/tr>\n        <tr data-semis=\"12\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#131313\"><\/span>Octave<\/td><td>12<\/td><td>12<\/td><td>Fusion: same note, higher<\/td><td>C \u2192 C (high)<\/td><\/tr>\n      <\/tbody>\n    <\/table>\n    <div class=\"readout\" data-role=\"readout\">These 5 distances build all the chords and all the scales in the rest of the series.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <p>The octave, you already know: it&#8217;s what closes the cycle of 12 notes, <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/musical-notes-explained\/\">we saw it at the 12th fret<\/a>. The thirds and the fifth are the newcomers, and they&#8217;re going to do all the work in <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/guitar-chord-construction\/\">chord construction<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <h3>Why &#8220;third,&#8221; &#8220;fifth&#8221;? The name in two questions<\/h3>\n\n  <p>The full name of an interval answers two questions. First: how many note names do I go through? From C to E, I go through C, D, E: three names, so a <strong>third<\/strong>. From C to G: five names, a <strong>fifth<\/strong>. That&#8217;s the interval&#8217;s <strong>size<\/strong>, and it comes from counting letters, not half steps.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Then: what exact color? That&#8217;s the <strong>quality<\/strong> (major, minor, perfect), and that&#8217;s counted in half steps. C\u2192E and C\u2192Eb are both thirds (three names covered), but one is 4 half steps (major) and the other 3 (minor). The number comes from letters, the color comes from half steps.<\/p>\n\n    <h3>The reference table of all 13 intervals<\/h3>\n\n    <p>And for the complete family, keep this table handy: each interval with its short name (Twelve Assistant apps convention), its distance, something to hear it with, and a <strong>reference melody<\/strong>: a well-known tune whose first two notes sing exactly this interval going up. It&#8217;s the fastest way to recognize them by ear.<\/p>\n\n    <div class=\"ta-card ta-widget\" data-ta-widget=\"tableau-intervalles\">\n      <table class=\"ta-intervals\" aria-describedby=\"i2r\">\n        <caption id=\"i2r\" style=\"caption-side:bottom;font-size:.85rem;color:var(--xiia-600);padding-top:.5rem;\">\n          The 13 intervals from unison to octave, from C. Click a row to hear it (both notes, then together). Reference melodies from Twelve Trainer ear training.\n        <\/caption>\n        <thead>\n          <tr><th scope=\"col\">Interval<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Full name<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Half steps<\/th><th scope=\"col\">Reference melody (ascending)<\/th><\/tr>\n        <\/thead>\n        <tbody>\n          <tr data-semis=\"0\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#131313\"><\/span><strong>R<\/strong><\/td><td>Unison<\/td><td>0<\/td><td>Twinkle Twinkle Little Star<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"1\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E5CD2E\"><\/span><strong>b2<\/strong><\/td><td>Minor second<\/td><td>1<\/td><td>Jaws theme<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"2\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E5CD2E\"><\/span><strong>M2<\/strong><\/td><td>Major second<\/td><td>2<\/td><td>Happy Birthday<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"3\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E52E40\"><\/span><strong>b3<\/strong><\/td><td>Minor third<\/td><td>3<\/td><td>Smoke on the Water<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"4\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#E52E40\"><\/span><strong>M3<\/strong><\/td><td>Major third<\/td><td>4<\/td><td>Oh When the Saints<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"5\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#2EDCE5\"><\/span><strong>P4<\/strong><\/td><td>Perfect fourth<\/td><td>5<\/td><td>Here Comes the Bride<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"6\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#2EE574\"><\/span><strong>b5<\/strong><\/td><td>Tritone<\/td><td>6<\/td><td>The Simpsons theme<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"7\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#2EE574\"><\/span><strong>P5<\/strong><\/td><td>Perfect fifth<\/td><td>7<\/td><td>Star Wars theme<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"8\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#BB2EE5\"><\/span><strong>b6<\/strong><\/td><td>Minor sixth<\/td><td>8<\/td><td>In My Life (The Beatles)<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"9\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#BB2EE5\"><\/span><strong>M6<\/strong><\/td><td>Major sixth<\/td><td>9<\/td><td>My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"10\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#008dbb\"><\/span><strong>b7<\/strong><\/td><td>Minor seventh<\/td><td>10<\/td><td>Star Trek (original theme)<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"11\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#008dbb\"><\/span><strong>M7<\/strong><\/td><td>Major seventh<\/td><td>11<\/td><td>Take on Me (A-ha)<\/td><\/tr>\n          <tr data-semis=\"12\"><td><span class=\"swatch\" style=\"background:#131313\"><\/span><strong>P8<\/strong><\/td><td>Octave<\/td><td>12<\/td><td>Somewhere Over the Rainbow<\/td><\/tr>\n        <\/tbody>\n      <\/table>\n      <div class=\"readout\" data-role=\"readout\">Click an interval, listen to it, then sing the first two notes of its reference melody: it&#8217;s the same distance.<\/div>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- ============ H2: thirds ============ -->\n<section id=\"thirds\">\n  <h2>3. Major or minor third: one fret changes everything<\/h2>\n\n  <p>Here&#8217;s the most expressive parameter in all of music. <strong>Just one fret apart<\/strong> between the major third (4 half steps) and the minor third (3 half steps). And yet: the major sounds bright, open; the minor sounds darker, more introspective.<\/p>\n\n  <p>A useful guideline, not an absolute rule: context changes everything, and songs in minor can be gentle, floating, or danceable. But this color contrast, your ear already knows it by heart. It&#8217;s exactly the difference between a major chord and a minor chord, which we&#8217;ll break down in <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/guitar-chord-construction\/\">the article on chords<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <p>The best way to internalize it is to hear it. Then test yourself:<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"ta-card ta-widget\" data-ta-widget=\"tierces-ab\">\n    <div class=\"ab-cards\">\n      <button type=\"button\" class=\"ab-card\" data-kind=\"M3\">\n        <span class=\"big\">Major third<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sub\">C \u2192 E \u00b7 4 half steps \u00b7 brighter<\/span>\n      <\/button>\n      <button type=\"button\" class=\"ab-card\" data-kind=\"m3\">\n        <span class=\"big\">Minor third<\/span>\n        <span class=\"sub\">C \u2192 Eb \u00b7 3 half steps \u00b7 darker<\/span>\n      <\/button>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"controls\">\n      <button type=\"button\" class=\"ta-btn\" data-role=\"blind\">\ud83c\udfa7 Blind test: play me one<\/button>\n      <span class=\"ab-score\" data-role=\"score\"><\/span>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"readout\" data-role=\"readout\">Listen to both, then start the blind test: I play a random third, you tell me which one.<\/div>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<section class=\"guitar-tip\">\n  <h3>On your guitar: your fingers measure intervals<\/h3>\n  <p>Position your hand, one finger per fret. From index to pinky, there are 3 frets: a minor third. Index-middle: 1 fret, a minor second. Index-ring: 2 frets, a whole step (major second). Your left hand is an interval ruler.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- ============ H2: fifth ============ -->\n<section id=\"fifth\">\n  <h2>4. The perfect fifth, the power chord sound<\/h2>\n\n  <p>If you&#8217;ve ever played rock, you know the perfect fifth by feel: it&#8217;s the <strong>power chord<\/strong>. Root plus fifth, no third. 7 half steps between the two notes, always.<\/p>\n\n  <p>Why does this sound so stable, so solid? Because the frequencies of the two notes are in a very simple ratio, about 3 to 2. When two notes &#8220;lock in&#8221; this well, the ear almost fuses them: that&#8217;s what we call <strong>consonance<\/strong>. The octave (2 to 1 ratio) fuses even more. Conversely, more twisted ratios &#8220;rub&#8221;: that&#8217;s <strong>dissonance<\/strong>. And careful, dissonant doesn&#8217;t mean ugly: the tension that demands resolution is the engine of music. We&#8217;ll revisit this with <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/chord-cadences-guitar\/\">the tritone&#8217;s tension in cadences<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n  <p>And since the power chord has no third, it&#8217;s neither major nor minor. That&#8217;s its all-purpose neutrality.<\/p>\n\n  <div class=\"ta-card ta-widget\" data-ta-widget=\"quinte-power\">\n    <svg viewBox=\"0 0 860 200\" role=\"img\" aria-labelledby=\"i4t\" aria-describedby=\"i4d\">\n      <title id=\"i4t\">The power chord shape on low E and A strings<\/title>\n      <desc id=\"i4d\">Two guitar strings (low E and A) across nine frets. The power chord shape, root on the low E string and fifth two frets later on the A string, moves fret by fret. At each position, the interval remains a perfect fifth of 7 half steps: the shape is identical, only the pitch changes.<\/desc>\n      <g data-role=\"neck\"><\/g>\n    <\/svg>\n    <div class=\"readout\" data-role=\"readout\">Click a fret on the low string: the power chord shape lands there and plays. 7 half steps, everywhere, always.<\/div>\n    <p class=\"svg-caption\">The shape transposes as is on low string pairs. A distance, not a position.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- ============ H2: on the fretboard ============ -->\n<section id=\"fretboard\">\n  <h2>5. Playing and recognizing intervals on guitar<\/h2>\n\n  <h3>Play the 5 intervals from the same note<\/h3>\n\n  <p>Take your open A string. Fret 0: unison (play it again). Fret 3: C, minor third. Fret 4: C#, major third. Fret 7: E, perfect fifth. Fret 12: A, one octave above. Five intervals, one string, and your ears starting to put names on colors they&#8217;ve known forever.<\/p>\n\n  <h3>The same interval, anywhere on the neck<\/h3>\n\n  <p>On the fretboard, each interval becomes a <strong>shape your hand memorizes<\/strong>. The power chord shape, you slide it wherever you want: it&#8217;s always a fifth. Same for the octave or thirds. One catch to know: between the G and B strings, you need to shift the shape one fret towards the high end, because this string pair is tuned differently from the others. If a shape ever &#8220;sounds wrong&#8221; there, that&#8217;s why.<\/p>\n\n  <h3>Exercise: recognize a major third by ear<\/h3>\n\n  <p>Go back to the blind test in the visual above, and aim for 8 right answers out of 10. A trick that works: sing the two notes internally before answering. The major &#8220;opens,&#8221; the minor &#8220;closes.&#8221; Then, do the same exercise on your guitar: play C (A string, 3rd fret), then E or Eb at random without looking, and name what you hear.<\/p>\n\n  <p>To train your ear deeply, interval by interval and at your own pace, <a href=\"https:\/\/twelve-assistant.com\/en\/twelve-trainer\/\" data-track=\"wp-link-intervals-to-twelve-trainer\">Twelve Trainer<\/a>, the training module of Twelve Assistant, has dedicated ear training exercises for intervals.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- Practical box -->\n<section class=\"guitar-tip\">\n  <h3>On your guitar: three challenges this week<\/h3>\n  <p><strong>Challenge 1.<\/strong> On the A string, play the 5 essentials in order (frets 0, 3, 4, 7, 12) naming each interval out loud. Goal: the complete series without hesitation.<\/p>\n  <p><strong>Challenge 2.<\/strong> Play your favorite riff and spot ONE interval in it (a fifth jump? a third?). Just one is enough: it&#8217;s the &#8220;I hear distances, not just notes anymore&#8221; breakthrough.<\/p>\n  <p><strong>Challenge 3.<\/strong> Blind test: 10 thirds, minimum 8 right answers. Major or minor, nothing else. If you can do it, your ear just gained the most expressive parameter of harmony.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- FAQ -->\n<section id=\"faq\">\n  <h2>Common questions about intervals<\/h2>\n\n  <div class=\"faq-item\">\n    <p class=\"faq-question\">What&#8217;s an interval in music?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"faq-answer\">An interval is the distance between two notes. We measure it in half steps, the basic unit of the Western musical system: on a guitar, one half step corresponds to one fret. For example, the distance between C and G equals 7 half steps, which defines a perfect fifth. An interval is a distance, not a position on the neck: the same distance always sounds the same, regardless of starting point.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"faq-item\">\n    <p class=\"faq-question\">Which intervals should I learn first?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"faq-answer\">Five intervals are enough to start: unison (0 half steps, same note twice), minor third (3 half steps), major third (4 half steps), perfect fifth (7 half steps), and octave (12 half steps). These are the building blocks of all chords and all scales. With just the third and fifth, you can already build any basic chord.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"faq-item\">\n    <p class=\"faq-question\">What&#8217;s the difference between a major third and a minor third?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"faq-answer\">The major third equals 4 half steps and sounds brighter, the minor third equals 3 half steps and sounds darker. Just one fret apart on guitar separates them, yet the color changes completely. This difference is what distinguishes a major chord from a minor chord: it&#8217;s the most expressive parameter of harmony.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"faq-item\">\n    <p class=\"faq-question\">What&#8217;s a perfect fifth in music?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"faq-answer\">The perfect fifth is an interval of 7 half steps, for example between C and G. It&#8217;s the power chord sound on guitar: root plus fifth, no third, hence its stable, powerful neutrality. Like any interval, the fifth moves anywhere on the neck keeping the same distance, which explains why a power chord is endlessly transposable.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n\n  <div class=\"faq-item\">\n    <p class=\"faq-question\">What&#8217;s the tritone in music?<\/p>\n    <p class=\"faq-answer\">The tritone is an interval of 6 half steps, located exactly in the middle of the octave, between the perfect fifth (7 half steps) and the perfect fourth (5 half steps). Its tense, unstable sound earned it the nickname &#8220;diabolus in musica.&#8221; This tension creates the urge to resolve in cadences and seventh chords, a role we&#8217;ll revisit later in the series.<\/p>\n  <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- Summary -->\n<section id=\"recap\" class=\"summary\">\n  <h2>Summary<\/h2>\n  <ul>\n    <li><strong>An interval is a distance<\/strong> between two notes, measured in half steps. On the same string: N half steps = N frets. The shape changes between strings, the distance never does.<\/li>\n    <li><strong>5 essentials<\/strong>: unison (0), minor third (3), major third (4), perfect fifth (7), octave (12). The building blocks of everything else.<\/li>\n    <li><strong>Major third = brighter, minor third = darker<\/strong>: one fret apart, the most expressive parameter of harmony. Useful guideline, context refines.<\/li>\n    <li><strong>Perfect fifth = power chord<\/strong>: simple frequency ratio (about 3:2), stable, transposable everywhere. No third, so neither major nor minor.<\/li>\n    <li><strong>The name = size + quality<\/strong>: the number comes from note names covered (C-D-E = third), the color comes from half steps (3 or 4).<\/li>\n  <\/ul>\n  <p>You no longer just hear notes. You hear distances. And with distances, we build everything: the next step is stacking them to create scales.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n\n<!-- CTA series -->\n<div class=\"series-cta\">\n  <h3>See intervals on your neck<\/h3>\n  <p>You just understood the distances between notes. The Fretboard Explorer displays and plays each interval on the neck, fret by fret. No account, no credit card.<\/p>\n  <a class=\"ta-btn\" href=\"https:\/\/twelve-assistant.com\/en\/applications\/fretboard-visualizer-en\/?utm_source=blog&amp;utm_medium=article&amp;utm_campaign=music-intervals-en&amp;utm_content=cta-demo-end#live-demo\" data-track=\"wp-link-intervals-to-fretboard-visualizer-cta\">Open the demo<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n<!-- Series navigation -->\n<div class=\"series-nav\">\n  <h3>Next in series<\/h3>\n  <p>You know how to measure the distance between two notes. Now, next question: how do we choose THE notes that go well together? Why do certain note sequences sound &#8220;right&#8221; and others wobbly?<\/p>\n  <p>The answer is called a scale: a selection of notes, defined by a sequence of intervals.<\/p>\n  <a class=\"ta-btn\" href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/guitar-scales-explained\/\">Article 4: Scales \u2192<\/a>\n  <span class=\"prev\">\u2190 Previous: <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/musical-notes-explained\/\">Article 2: Musical Notes<\/a> \u00b7 <a href=\"\/en\/music-theory-for-guitar\/\">Back to music theory table of contents<\/a><\/span>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You already know your guitar has 12 notes and one fret equals a half step (we covered the 12 notes and the half step in the previous article). The logical next step: measuring. Because the distance between two notes is what makes a riff sound heroic or ominous, what makes a chord major or minor. [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":2214839,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"tpl-cours.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-2214842","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Music Intervals for Guitar: Thirds, Fifths &amp; More<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Master intervals on guitar: the building blocks of chords and melodies. 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