Welcome to the third part of this series on how to identify music intervals!

In Part 2, we talked about:

  • The ascending major 3rd
  • the ascending perfect 4th
  • The ascending augmented 4th
  • The ascending perfect 5th.

Today we will cover:

  • The ascending minor 6th
  • The ascending major 6th
  • The ascending minor 7th
  • The ascending major 7th.

💡 To refresh your mind on what those interval names mean, check out our dedicated article here.


How to identify ascending minor sixths

A minor 6th has 8 semitones, as discussed here. Remember, each interval type carries a distinct characteristic in its sound profile, and the way to identify them is to get used to the sound of each. So let's listen to some examples of ascending minor sixths:

  • C - Ab
  • A - F
  • D# - B
  • F - C#

Note that C-G♯ has 8 semitones too, but the name of this interval is augmented 5th. Since the minor 6th and augmented 5th have the same interval width (8 semitones), they share the same distinct sound, despite their different names in theory.

I have a beautiful song that will help you remember this interval! The first two notes here correspond to an ascending minor 6th:

How to identify ascending major sixths


A major 6th has 9 semitones, as discussed here. Here are some examples of this interval:

  • C - A
  • D# - B#
  • Ab - F
  • G - E

For this interval, I again have a song by Chopin (yes, he is one of my favorite composers!). The first 2 notes in the Nocturne in E Flat Major (Op. 9 No. 2) form a major sixth:

How to identify ascending minor sevenths

A minor 7th has 10 semitones, as discussed here. Let's listen to some examples of this interval:

  • C - Bb
  • D - C
  • A - G
  • F - Eb

For this interval, you can think about Star Trek 🛸, since its theme begins with 2 notes that form a minor 7th:

How to identify ascending major sevenths

A major 7th has 11 semitones, as discussed here. Below are some examples of this interval:

  • B - A#
  • C - B
  • Bb - A
  • D - C#

A good song to reference here is "Don't Know Why," where the two first notes form an ascending major 7th:


That's it for now. When you're feeling good with the intervals here, head to Part 4 where we'll begin reviewing the descending intervals. As always, use a keyboard or the virtual one in Flat to practice and master the intervals.

See you soon,

‌Articles in our series about intervals: