Sixth

Diatonic intervals
Prime second third fourth fifth sixth seventh octave none decime undezime duodecime tredezime semitone / whole tone
Special intervals
Microinterval Comma Diësis Limma Apotome Ditone Tritone Wolf fifth Natural septime
units
Cent Millioctave Octave Savart

The sixth , also sixth (from Latin sextus : "the sixth") is an interval in music that spans six tones (five tones) of a diatonic , heptatonic scale (e.g. C → A ). In a narrower sense, the sixth also means the sixth degree of the respective scale.

As an interval, the sixth is the complementary interval to the third .

variants

Note example: Sext intervals

The sixth interval can appear in four variants. Are common

• the major sixth (a) and
• the minor sixth (b),

which in the pure tuning have the frequency ratio 5: 3 or 8: 5. The sixth above the root of the major scale is large, the sixth above the root of the (natural) minor scale is small.

Are rarer

• the excessive sixth (c) and
• the diminished sixth (d),

to their notation always accidentals are necessary. The augmented sixth is an integral part of the augmented sixth chord, the augmented fifth chord, and the augmented third fourth chord .

In the equal tuning , the sixth intervals are seven to ten semitone steps.

For a long time sex jumps were considered unsuitable for singable melodies. That is why they only established themselves as melodic intervals late.

	interval	Semitones	example	Reversal interval
(a)	major sixth	9 (4 whole tones + 1 semitone)	C - A , E - Cis following tone horn of Italian ambulance "Now we 're going across the lake" (upwards) "No bo dy knows the trouble I've seen" (downwards)	minor third
(b)	small sixth	8 (3 whole tones + 2 semitones)	E - C , C - As "Drun th in the lowlands" "Send sals me lo the" (down and up)	major third
(c)	excessive sixth	10 (5 whole tones)	C - Ais , It - Cis	diminished third
(d)	diminished sixth	7 (2 whole tones + 3 semitones)	E - Ces , Cis - As	excessive third

Doric sixth

The Doric scale differs from the natural minor scale only in that the sixth above the fundamental is large instead of small. This major sixth is therefore considered to be the characteristic interval of the Doric key and is called the Doric sixth .

Note example: Doric sixth

Audio samples

• small sixth:
  • upwards C-As ^{? / i}
  • downward CE ^{? / i}
• major sixth:
  • upwards CA ^{? / i}
  • downward C-Es ^{? / i}

See also

• Sixth chord
• Sixte ajoutée

Web links

Commons : Major sixths  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Marc Honegger, Günther Massenkeil (ed.): The great lexicon of music. Volume 7, Freiburg i. Br .: Herder 1987, ISBN 3-451-22921-8 , p. 345
2. ^ Metzler-Sachlexikon Musik , Stuttgart: Metzler 1978, ISBN 3-476-01544-0 , page 957
3. ↑ Italy Response Compilation on YouTube