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FOG HORN SOUNDS AND AUCTION CHANTS: THE MAJOR THIRD INTERVAL (DOORBELL SOUND)
If you live near the sea, you may hear foghorns every so often. What’s that interval, the descending
It’s a descending major third. People just love that major third. It’s also the cheerful “ding-dong” of your doorbell.
And it’s the main interval the auctioneer uses as he or she disposes of the family farm. In 1956, Leroy Van Dyke and Buddy Black wrote a country classic called “The Auctioneer,” which highlights the auctioneer’s major third sing-song patter. Gordon Lightfoot recorded a fine version of this tune on his 1980 album Dream Street Rose.
The minor third, on the other hand, has a decidedly sad sound. It’s the chief interval in the children’s chant, “Ring Around the Rosie” (the interval on the word, “ros - ie”), also known as “Nyah-Nyah-Nyah-Nyah Nyaaaaah Nyah.”
The male chickadee uses a sliding descending minor third during mating season. The call goes from A down to F♯, or B♭ down to G. Women chickadees love that sad tune. The slide into the second note of the interval is characteristic of sad country songs. Male chickadees may have been the first true country singers.