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Information about the minor third interval

Name

This is the minor third interval.

Abbreviation

This interval is abbreviated with m3.

Practice the m3 interval

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Construct

How to construct the minor third interval?

To construct an interval correctly you must always use two steps.

1 • Count the amount of naturals used
2 • Count the semitone steps between the two notes

At first, and with easy intervals, this may seem unnecessary, but when advancing to more difficult intervals and musical keys they will become more mandatory.

The following example is for a minor second from C3. Outcome: E3

1 • The minor third spans 3 naturals.
C3  ↠  D3  ↠  E3
2 • The minor third has 3 semitones between the notes.
C3  ↠  D3  ↠  D3  ↠  E3

Cheatsheet

The minor third transposed from each note

C
E
C
E
C
E
D
F
D
F
D
F
E
G
E
G
E
G
F
A
F
A
F
A
G
B
G
B
G
B
A
C
A
C
A
C
B
D
B
D
B
D

Practice the minor third interval

Open the app and start your daily workout!

learn music theory with sonid app logofor iOS and Android

Chords

Which chords use the minor third interval?

Scales

Which scales use the minor third interval?

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3 years ago

Today's topic: "What is a minor third?" In this video you will learn how to construct and identify a minor third interval in 30 seconds. Including some examples and common mistakes.