An interval is the distance between two notes. Learning these distances helps you understand the shapes you see on the fretboard and gives you names for the sounds you hear.

In this lesson, you’ll see how intervals are named, where they appear around a root note on guitar, and how they connect to scales, chords, and harmony.

What is an interval in music?

An interval is the distance between two notes. For example, C to E is a Major 3rd, while C to G is a Perfect 5th.

The chart below gives you the names and distances for the intervals within an octave. Use it as a reference as you work through the fretboard examples.

Music Intervals Chart

Interval Shapes on Guitar

The diagrams below show common ways these intervals appear around a root note on guitar. Pick one root area and compare a few shapes at a time rather than treating the entire section as one exercise.

As you play each example, say the interval name and listen to the two notes together. The goal is to connect the name, shape, and sound.

Unison interval on guitar

Here are three ways to play the note C in the same register on guitar. Because the pitches match, they form a unison.

Unison shape examples

minor 2nd interval examples

minor 2nd shapes

minor 2nd variations

minor 2nd variation shapes

Major 2nd interval examples

Major 2nd shapes

Major 2nd variations examples

Major 2nd variation shapes

minor 3rd interval examples

minor 3rd shapes

minor 3rd interval variation examples

minor 3rd variation shapes

Major 3rd interval examples

Major 3rd shapes

Major 3rd interval variation examples

Major 3rd variation shapes

Roadmap practice: Choose one root note and compare its minor 3rd and Major 3rd. Play the root first, then each interval. Notice the difference in both the fretboard distance and the sound.

Perfect 4th interval examples

Perfect 4th shapes

Augmented 4th interval examples

Augmented 4th shapes

Perfect 5th interval examples

Perfect 5th shapes

Perfect 5th interval variation examples

Perfect 5th variation shapes

Roadmap practice: From the same root, find a Perfect 5th. Play the root and 5th several times, then move the root to another fret and recreate the same interval relationship.

minor 6th interval examples

minor 6th shapes

minor 6th interval variation examples

minor 6th variation shapes

Major 6th interval examples

Major 6th shapes

minor 7th interval examples

minor 7th shapes

Major 7th interval examples

Major 7th shapes

Octave interval examples

Octave shapes

Roadmap practice: Find the octave of your root note in at least two places. Play the root and octave together, then separately, and listen for how they share the same note name at different registers.

Applying Intervals to Scales

Once you can see intervals around a root, scale formulas become easier to understand. Instead of seeing a scale only as a memorized shape, you can also see each note by its relationship to the root.

All intervals in one position

By knowing where your intervals are on the fretboard, you can use a scale formula to map its notes around a root. For example, the Major scale has the following intervals in relation to the root note: Major 2nd, Major 3rd, Perfect 4th, Perfect 5th, Major 6th, and Major 7th.

Example: Major scale interval formula

In this case, the notes in dark blue circles belong to the Major scale and the notes in light blue are the ones that are omitted.

For example, when you look at a Major scale shape you’ve already practiced, try locating the root, Major 3rd, Perfect 5th, and octave inside it. This connects the interval shapes in this lesson to the scale shapes you already know.

Using this concept of mapping out intervals will also help you find the notes in triad chords and 7ths chords. This is necessary to know so you can choose the right notes when improvising, regardless of what area you are playing on the fretboard.

This same method works for minor scales, pentatonic scales, blues scales, etc… If you know the formula, you can find the scale anywhere on the neck.

Using Intervals to Build Chords

Intervals also help explain the chord structures you’ve already learned. A Major triad, for example, contains the root, Major 3rd, and Perfect 5th.

• Triads = 1, 3, 5
• 7th chords = 1, 3, 5, 7
• Extensions = 9, 11, 13

Knowing intervals helps you visualize these tones so you can target the right notes when improvising or arranging.

Once the intervals within one octave are clear, the same relationships continue above the octave as compound intervals.

Compound Intervals (Chord Extensions)

Compound intervals are intervals that stretch beyond an octave. You’ll see them often in extended chords or jazz voicings. For example, a Major 10th is simply a Major 3rd moved up an octave.

You may hear these called chord extensions, extended chord tones, or upper extensions. They all refer to the same idea.

Here’s a chart with the most common compound intervals.

Compound Interval Chart

Intervals vs Scale Degrees

Intervals describe the distance between two notes.

Scale degrees describe a note’s position in relation to the root of a scale.

Because both describe relationships between pitches, you’ll often see similar numbers used in each system.

Here is a chart to help you understand the relation between intervals and scale degrees.

Scale degrees also function as chord tones when referring to the notes that make up a chord. These tones define the chord’s quality. For example, a C Major 7 uses the scale degrees 1, 3, 5, and 7 (C, E, G, B).

In short, scale degrees double as chord tones inside chord structures.

Harmonizing a scale with intervals

Harmonizing a scale lets you hear the same interval relationship move through different notes of the key. The examples below show the C Major scale harmonized with several intervals.

Start with 3rds. Play through the example slowly and listen for the character of each two-note pair before exploring the wider intervals below.

3rds

You can try these interval examples with different scales. This is one of the best ways to strengthen your ear and understand harmony in real time.

Wrapping up

Intervals give you a way to connect what you see on the fretboard with what you hear.

Start with a few useful relationships around one root, especially Major and minor 3rds, the Perfect 5th, and the octave. Learn where they sit, play them in different fretboard areas, and listen carefully to the sound of each one.

From there, the other interval shapes and compound intervals in this lesson give you a reference for understanding scales, chords, harmonized lines, and more complex sounds.

Next, we’ll shift the emphasis from seeing these relationships on the guitar to learning more music directly through listening.

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