SEVENTH INTERVALS

In this current series, we’ve been looking at ways of exploring specific intervals within Mixolydian mode. In this lesson, we focus on 7ths. Compared to other interval-types, it is relatively rare to see 7th intervals used as the basis for musical ideas; however, the fundamental nature of this column is to explore every dark recess in order to yield new ideas that we can use in our playing.

Within the modes of the Major scale, each 7th interval will be one of two types:

• Minor 7th = 10 semitones

• Major 7th = 11 semitones To illustrate this, have a look at diagram 1, which represents the notes of D Major (and any of its modes, like A Mixolydian). If you start from any note, and then move in any direction (clockwise or anti-clockwise) to another note six notes away (in other words, with five scale notes in between), the distance will either be a Major 7th or a Minor 7th.

The main reason