Editing Interval (music) (section)

== Main intervals ==
<!--This section is linked from [[List of pitch intervals]] ([[MOS:HEAD]])-->

The table shows the most widely used conventional names for the intervals between the notes of a [[chromatic scale]]. A [[perfect unison]] (also known as perfect prime)<ref name=prime>[http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/subscriber/article/grove/music/53859 "Prime (ii). See Unison"], ''[[Grove Music Online]]''. Oxford University Press. Accessed August 2013. {{subscription required}})</ref> is an interval formed by two identical notes. Its size is zero [[Cent (music)|cents]]. A [[semitone]] is any interval between two adjacent notes in a chromatic scale, a [[whole tone]] is an interval spanning two semitones (for example, a [[major second]]), and a [[tritone]] is an interval spanning three tones, or six semitones (for example, an augmented fourth).{{efn|name=TritoneA4|The term [[tritone]] is sometimes used more strictly as a synonym of augmented fourth (A4).}} Rarely, the term [[ditone]] is also used to indicate an interval spanning two whole tones (for example, a [[major third]]), or more strictly as a synonym of major third.

Intervals with different names may span the same number of semitones, and may even have the same width. For instance, the interval from D to F{{Music|#}} is a [[major third]], while that from D to G{{Music|b}} is a [[diminished fourth]]. However, they both span 4 semitones. If the [[Musical instrument|instrument]] is tuned so that the 12 notes of the chromatic scale are equally spaced (as in [[equal temperament]]), these intervals also have the same width. Namely, all semitones have a width of 100 [[Cent (music)|cents]], and all intervals spanning 4 semitones are 400 cents wide.

The names listed here cannot be determined by counting semitones alone. The rules to determine them are explained below. Other names, determined with different naming conventions, are listed in [[#Alternative interval naming conventions|a separate section]]. Intervals [[#Minute intervals|smaller than one semitone]] (commas or microtones) and [[#Compound intervals|larger than one octave]] (compound intervals) are introduced below.

{|class="wikitable"
|-
! Number of<br/>[[semitone]]s|| [[#Quality|Minor, major,<br/>or perfect]] intervals || Short || [[#Quality|Augmented or<br/>diminished]] intervals || Short || Widely used<br/>[[#Alternative interval naming conventions|alternative names]] || Short || Audio
|-
| 0 || [[Perfect unison]] || P1 || [[Diminished second]] || d2 || || || {{audio|Unison on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 1 || [[Minor second]] || m2 || [[Augmented unison]] || A1 || [[Semitone]], half tone, half step || S || {{audio|Minor second on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 2 || [[Major second]] || M2 || [[Diminished third]] || d3 || [[Whole tone|Tone]], whole tone, whole step || T || {{audio|Major second on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 3 || [[Minor third]] || m3 || [[Augmented second]] || A2 || || || {{audio|Minor third on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 4 || [[Major third]] || M3 || [[Diminished fourth]] || d4 || || || {{audio|Major third on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 5 || [[Perfect fourth]] || P4 || [[Augmented third]] || A3 || || || {{audio|Perfect fourth on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| 6 || rowspan="2" colspan="2"| || [[Tritone|Diminished fifth]] || d5 || rowspan="2"|[[Tritone]] || rowspan="2"| TT || rowspan="2"| {{audio|Tritone on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| [[Tritone|Augmented fourth]] || A4
|-
| 7 || [[Perfect fifth]] || P5 || [[Diminished sixth]] || d6 || || || {{audio|Perfect fifth on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 8 || [[Minor sixth]] || m6 || [[Augmented fifth]] || A5 || || || {{audio|Minor sixth on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 9 || [[Major sixth]] || M6 || [[Diminished seventh]] || d7 || || || {{audio|Major sixth on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 10 || [[Minor seventh]] || m7 || [[Augmented sixth]] || A6 || || || {{audio|Minor seventh on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 11 || [[Major seventh]] || M7 || [[Diminished octave]] || d8 || || || {{audio|Major seventh on C.mid|Play}}
|-
| 12 || [[Octave|Perfect octave]] || P8 || [[Augmented seventh]] || A7 || || || {{audio|Perfect octave on C.mid|Play}}
|}