INTERVALS (5THS)

In this current series, we’ve been looking at ways of exploring specific intervals within Mixolydian. So far, we’ve studied 2nds, 3rds and 4ths, and in this lesson it’s the turn of 5ths. Intervals are a great way of developing approaches that have distinct flavours. Each interval-type has its own innate character, and this is something that we can use to our advantage in order to control the musical complexion of what we do when improvising.

Within the modes of the Major scale, each 5th interval will be one of two types:

1) Diminished fifth = six semitones

2) Perfect fifth = seven semitones To illustrate this, have a look at Diagram 1, which represents the notes of C Major (and any of its modes). If you start from any note, and then move in any direction, clockwise or anti-clockwise, to another note that is four notes away (in other words, with another three scale notes in between), the distance is either (usually) a perfect