You Are Reading the First 6 FREE Chapters (470 pages)
4.2.6 Consonance in Music, Dissonance in Music—What's the Difference?
Some intervals sound stable, balanced, at rest, when you play the two notes either together or successively. That’s called consonance.
Others sound unstable, unbalanced, restless. That’s dissonance (Table 14).
TABLE 14 Consonant and Dissonant Intervals
| Interval | Number of Semitones | Example | Consonant/Dissonant |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor Second | 1 | C – C♯ | Dissonant |
| Major Second | 2 | C – D | Dissonant |
| Minor Third | 3 | C – E♭ | Consonant |
| Major Third | 4 | C – E | Consonant |
| Perfect Fourth | 5 | C – F | Consonant |
| Augmented Fourth | 6 | C – F♯ | Dissonant |
| Perfect Fifth | 7 | C – G | Consonant |
| Minor Sixth | 8 | C – A♭ | Consonant |
| Major Sixth | 9 | C – A | Consonant |
| Minor Seventh | 10 | C – B♭ | Dissonant |
| Major Seventh | 11 | C – B | Dissonant |
| Octave | 12 | C – C | Consonant |