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→Intervals Above vs. Intervals Below and Inversions
Playing on a single string is a complete pain. You are constantly changing positions, restricted to simple melodies, and cannot create any harmony. Let's add another string: the '''2nd string''' or '''B string'''. Below you can see both the notes of the 1st and 2nd strings together.
E||F|-|G|-|A|-|B|C|-|D|-|E| B||C|-|D|-|E|F|-|G|-|A|-|B| 0 3 5 7 9 12
E--0--1--3--5--7--8--10-12--
Let's look at the intervals from two different perspectives inside the key of C Major:
{||
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Intervals with Root Note of C
| C || B || 11 || {{M7|M7}} || Major 7th
|}
|
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Intervals with Root Note of A
| A || G || 10 || {{Mn7|m7}} || Minor 7th
|}
|}
Inside any particular major scale, every note has a different set of intervals for all the other notes in the same key. In C Major, C and A both have major 2nd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th intervals but have different 3rd, 6th, and 7ths. If we added a harmony line a 3rd above the melody, we'd have a major 3rd when the melody played C (C-E), but a minor third when the melody played A (A-C).
B-5--7--9--10-12-14-16-17-
{{U|U}} {{M2|M2}} {{M3|M3}} {{P4|P4}} {{P5|P5}} {{M6|M6}} {{M7|M7}} {{U|Oct}}
E-0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0--
B-5--7--8--10-12-13-15-17-
|1st and 2nd Strings - Intervals#Intervals Above vs. Intervals Below and Inversions|Inversions}}
One last thing about intervals - intervals refer to distance between two pitches. However, we regard the octave of notes as harmonically equivalent. If you increase or reduce both the notes of an interval by one octave, it does not change distance at all. However, if you increase the lower note by one octave such that it now the higher note, or lower the higher note one octave, you still have the same notes but a different amount of distance and thus a different interval. This is called an '''inversion'''.
For example, G is 7 semitones above C, making it a Perfect 5th ''above'' C. However, it is only 5 semitones below C, making it a perfect 4th ''below'' C. Similarly, a G is a perfect 5th above C, but a C is only a perfect 4th above G.