Minor Sixth
An interval spanning eight semitones, with a bittersweet quality often used in expressive melodic writing.
Category
intervals
Pronunciation
/ˈmaɪnə sɪksθ/
Origin
Latin (sextus, sixth)
Length
205 words · 2 min read
About Minor Sixth
The minor sixth stretches from C to A-flat, or from E to C above, and creates an effect that is wider and more yearning than a perfect fifth but less bright than a major sixth. It is the inversion of the major third — flipping a major third upside down produces a minor sixth.
More intervals terms
Compound Interval
View all intervalsterms →An interval wider than an octave, such as a ninth, tenth, or eleventh.
OctaveThe interval spanning eight diatonic scale degrees
Minor SeventhAn interval spanning ten semitones, central to dominant seventh chords and the blues sound.
SemitoneThe smallest interval in standard Western music
Major SixthAn interval spanning nine semitones, often described as warm, open, and gently uplifting.
Antonyms
See Also
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