Minor sixth
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The musical interval of a minor sixth is the relationship between the first note (the root or tonic) and the sixth note in a minor scale. It is the inversion of the Major third. It is abbreviated as m6.
It can be produced by starting on a high note and playing the sixth below or by starting on a low note and playing the sixth above.
A minor sixth in just intonation most often corresponds to a pitch ratio of 8:5 or 1:1.6, or various other ratios, while in an equal tempered tuning, a minor sixth is equal to eight semitones, a ratio of 1:28/12 (approximately 1.587), or 800 cents, 13.686 cents smaller. The ratios of both Major and minor sixths are corresponding numbers of the fibonacci sequence, 5 and 8 for a minor third and 3 and 5 for a major.
In the common practice period sixths, along with their inverse, thirds, are considered the most interesting and dynamic consonances. The minor sixth is considered the most consonant interval after the unison, octave, perfect fifth, perfect fourth, Major third, and the Major sixth.
Augmented fifth
The musical interval of an Augmented fifth is the relationship between the first note and the fifth note in any of the various augmented scales. It is the inversion of the diminished fourth, and in twelve tone equal temperament is enharmonically equal to a minor sixth.
The Augmented fifth is the largest interval in the Augmented chord. It can be produced by starting on a high note and playing the fifth below or by starting on a low note and playing the fifth above.
In an equal tempered tuning, an Augmented fifth is equal to eight semitones, a ratio of 1:28/12 (approximately 1.587), or 800 cents.
Although they are enharmonicaly equal to minor sixths and have a consonant frequency ratio of 5:8, in the common practice period augmented fifths were considered dissonant or unstable and disallowed.
See also
| Minor sixth | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # semitones | Interval class | # cents in equal temperament | Most common diatonic name | Comparable just interval | # cents in just interval | Just interval vs. equal-tempered interval |
| 8 | 4 | 800 | minor sixth | 8:5 | 814 | 14 cents larger |
External links
- Tonalsoft Encyclopaedia of Tuning (http://tonalsoft.com/enc/index2.htm?minor-6th.htm)