What is the Minor Second interval?
Pssst, it's the one you hear in Jaws
The minor second interval is when two notes are played 1 semitone apart.
The most well-known use of the minor second interval is in the score to the movie Jaws.
What does a minor second sound like?
The minor second interval is a tense-sounding interval.
This is what it sounds like, played one note after the other.
When the two notes are played together, it creates a lot of tension. This is what it sounds like when both notes are played together.
How I use a minor second
Minor second intervals occur in pretty much all of the most common scales (major and minor), so I use them all the time in chords and melodies.
BUT!
When I am using the interval for its intrinsically tense character, I use it when writing horror music, because I think it is one of the three scariest intervals in music.
Happy composing!Rich
intervals in musicMusic Theory
Read next
- What Are Root Notes in Music
In this article, I explain what root notes are and what purpose they serve us musicians and composers.
- What Is A Music Ensemble? - All You Need To Know
If you’re interested in music in general, you may want to learn the different forms in which music can be played or performed. This will help you to understand the theory of music…
- What Is A Semitone?
When learning the notes of a piano or completing your singing scales, those sneaky semi-tones can often be missed or forgotten. However, learning the pitch and the distances…
- What Are Triads?
If you’re just starting out with music theory, chances are you’ve seen the term ‘triads’ thrown around. These types of chords are incredibly common in music and play a large part…