This Interval Changes The Guitar Game Completely

If you were to ask me what the most important concept of music is, I’d say that intervals would be tough to beat. Intervals are some of the most significant contributors to music because they dictate how other notes are perceived. This especially applies to emotion, so if you are trying to evoke certain feelings, your best bet is to study your intervals. If you're asking yourself what this magical idea is, an interval is the distance between two notes. A single note by itself has hardly any emotional or musical value. However, the note played before or after that single note gives you something to really sink your teeth into. In this lesson, I'm gonna share with you what I believe is the most powerful interval of them all and how to maximize your use of it.

The Third

The case I will make in this lesson is that the third is the most powerful interval in music.  Simply put, a third is a note that is 3 scale degrees away from its relative root.  In a way, I am cheating a bit because a third can be broken up into two separate intervals: the major third (two whole steps away from the relative root) and the minor third (three half steps away from the relative root).  We are already scratching the surface of the bang for your buck you get with the third.

Emotional impact comes into play depending on the type of third that is used.  As with anything else in music, a major third is considered to have a tone that is bright or happy sounding.  In contrast, the minor third is considered to have a tone that is dark or sad sounding.  When looking at entire chords or scales, the one interval that dictates whether that chord or scale is major or minor is the third.  Major thirds=major chords and scales; minor thirds=minor chords and scales.  The same cannot be said for other types of intervals whether they be major or minor since they do not alter the major/minor (bright/dark) quality of the chord or scale they are a part of to the same degree as thirds.

Applying The Third To Dyads

We can quickly start to have more fun with thirds when we use them in dyads.  Dyads are pretty much just two notes played at the same time, or two-note chords.  Unlike other dyads, such as perfect 5th intervals (power chords), dyads constructed of thirds can be classified as being major or minor.  Using thirds in dyads can be a lot of fun if you know your scales since you can write ideas based on a scale and go crazy with them.  From left to right on the tab below, you'll see a D minor dyad and a D major dyad.

Harmonizing With Thirds

I would argue that harmonizing is the most fun thing to do with thirds because it gives you that bone-chilling dual guitar sound.  This technique has become a staple for bands like Avenged Sevenfold who use the twin dual guitar leads. 

To achieve this magical effect, you're gonna need something to record your first guitar part with, like a DAW or a looper. If you want to have the most fun with this, get a guitar-playing buddy to play with and share this lesson with them. There is something special about harmonizing with someone in real time that feels so good.

To achieve the magical dual guitar attack, we will use a parallel harmony, which just means that each guitar part will move in the same direction. The first guitar sets the melody and sits lower in pitch. The second guitar plays the same thing as the first guitar, only three scale degrees higher. Of note, the second guitar will play either major or minor thirds relative to the scale degrees established by the first guitar.

Conclusion

I defy anyone to tell me a more fun, more influential interval than the third. As demonstrated, this interval dictates what chords and scales sound happy or sad. Like any other art form, music appeals to emotion, so knowing this interval is absolutely necessary if you want to be intentional with your writing or music theory analysis skills. You can also have a blast using thirds as dyads and by using them for a powerful dual guitar harmony.

Watch the full lesson here: This Interval Changes The Guitar Game Completely