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-- == Intervals --==
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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.
fig. 1 e--0--1--3--5--7--8--10--12-- b--0--1--3--5--6--8--10--12-- e f g a b c d e b c d e f g a b
If you look at the frets that fall in the C major scale, you'll notice this is identical to the 1st string frets, except here we use the 6th fret instead of 7th. On the 1st string, that note is a B - the leading tone, which is a semitone below the tonic note. Here, that note is an F, the 4th.
Remember that the 1st string is tuned a fourth above the 2nd string. E is a fourth above B. As we go up the fretboard, we see each note on the 2nd string has its relative 4th directly above it on the 1st string. Starting with open we have:
fig. 2 0 - B - E 1 - C - F 3 - D - G 5 - E - A 6 - F - 7 - - B 8 - G - C 10 - A - D
Two notes form an interval. The distance between them determines what they are called and what they sound like. Understanding intervals IS understanding harmony. Let's look at all the possible intervals. The first column is the first note, the 2nd column is the 2nd note, the 3rd column is the number of semitones between them, the 4th column is the short name, and the 4th column is the interval's formal name:
fig. 3
{| class="wikitable"|-! Root Note !! 2nd Note !! Semitones from 2nd to Root !! Interval Short Name !! Interval Full Name|-| C - || C - || 0 - || U || unison|- unison| C - || Db - || 1 - || m2 - || minor 2nd|-| C - || D - || 2 - || M2 - || (major) 2nd|-| C - || Eb - || 3 - || m3 - || minor 3rd|-| C - || E - || 4 - || M3 - || major 3rd|-| C - || F - || 5 - || P4 - || (perfect) 4th|-| C - || F# - || 6 - || T - || augmented 4th/diminished 5th/tritone|-| C - || G - || 7 - || P5 - || (perfect) 5th|-| C - || Ab - || 8 - || m6 - || minor 6th|-| C - || A - || 9 - || M6 - || major 6th|-| C - || Bb - || 10 - || 7 - || (dominant) 7th|-| C - || B - || 11 - || M7 - || major 7th|-| C - || C - || 12 - || U - || octave|}
Where the names have ()'s around a word in the description, that word is commonly optional. Major 2nd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th, and dominant 7th are all implied by 2nd, 4th, 5th, and 7th. Also, when we may occasionally omit the major/minor descriptor. For instance, we may say that C - E is a 3rd without qualifying whether it is a major third or minor third. Or we may say we're going to play a harmony line a 3rd above any given melody; this will likely include both major and minor thirds. Let's look at the intervals from two different perspectives inside the key of C Major: