A is the smaller of two commonly occurring
Musical Interval s that span three
Diatonic Scale degrees. The prefix 'minor' identifies it as being the smaller of the two (by one semitone); its larger counterpart being a
Major Third . The minor third is abbreviated as '''m3''' and its
Inversion is the
Major Sixth .
The
Minor Scale is so named because of the presence of this interval between its
Tonic and
Mediant (1st and 3rd)
Scale Degrees .
Minor Chord s too, take their name from the presence of this interval built on the chord's
Root (provided that the interval of a
Perfect Fifth from the root is also present or implied).
A minor third in s smaller.
The minor third is classed as an
Imperfect Consonance and is considered one of the most consonant intervals after the
Unison ,
Octave ,
Perfect Fifth , and
Perfect Fourth .
An is
Enharmonically Equivalent to a minor third, but written as a
Major Second with an additional
Accidental as it is a
Semitone larger.
Augmented seconds occur in many scales, most importantly the
Harmonic Minor and its various modes. They also occur in the various "gypsy minor" scales (which consist almost entirely of augmented and
Minor Second s). In harmonic minor scales, the augmented second occurs between the sixth and seventh scale degrees. For example, in the scale of , the notes '''F''' and '''G#''' form the interval of an augmented second. This distinguishing feature of harmonic minor scales occurs as a consequence of the seventh scale degree having been chromatically raised in order to allow
Chords in a minor key to follow the same rules of
Cadence observed in major keys, where the V chord is "dominant" (that is, contains a major triad plus a ''
Minor Seventh '').
In the
Arab Tone System , augmented second does not refer to a minor third, but rather an interval one
Quarter Tone wider than a major second.
