Intervals on Guitar: How to See & Hear Them

Guitar intervals are the secret code behind every scale, chord and riff. Learn to see them on the fretboard and hear them in music, and theory stops being abstract. This lesson is part of our music theory for guitar beginners series.

Short answer: an interval is the distance between two notes, counted in half steps (frets). On guitar, each interval has a fixed shape you can move anywhere on the neck – a perfect 5th is always one string over and two frets up (except when crossing the G and B strings). Pair each shape with a song you know and you can recognize intervals by ear.

Guitar Intervals Chart

Half steps (frets)	Interval	Example from C	Song reference
1	Minor 2nd	C–Db	“Jaws” theme
2	Major 2nd	C–D	“Happy Birthday” (first change)
3	Minor 3rd	C–Eb	Opening of “Greensleeves”
4	Major 3rd	C–E	“When the Saints Go Marching In”
5	Perfect 4th	C–F	“Here Comes the Bride”
6	Tritone	C–F#	“The Simpsons” theme
7	Perfect 5th	C–G	“Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”
8	Minor 6th	C–Ab	“The Entertainer” (E up to C)
9	Major 6th	C–A	“My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean”
10	Minor 7th	C–Bb	“Somewhere” (West Side Story)
11	Major 7th	C–B	“Take On Me” chorus leap
12	Octave	C–C	“Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Intervals are named by comparison with the major scale: if the upper note is in the major scale of the lower note, it is major or perfect; one half step smaller makes it minor (or diminished for 4ths and 5ths).

Interval Shapes Guitar Players Should Know

The guitar is tuned in perfect 4ths (5 frets) between most strings, so interval shapes guitar players learn are consistent. Here are the shapes from a root on the low E, A or D string to the next string up:

Interval	Shape (root string → next string)
Minor 3rd	Next string, 2 frets lower
Major 3rd	Next string, 1 fret lower
Perfect 4th	Next string, same fret
Tritone	Next string, 1 fret higher
Perfect 5th	Next string, 2 frets higher
Minor 6th	Two strings over, 2 frets lower
Major 6th	Two strings over, 1 fret lower
Minor 7th	Two strings over, same fret
Major 7th	Two strings over, 1 fret higher
Octave	Two strings over, 2 frets higher

The B-string rule: the G and B strings are tuned a major 3rd apart (4 frets) rather than a 4th. Any shape that crosses from the G string to the B string must move one fret higher. An octave from the D string to the B string is three frets higher, not two.

Same-string intervals are simplest of all: count frets. Three frets is a minor 3rd, seven frets is a perfect 5th, twelve frets is an octave.

Intervals: The Easy Way!!

Where you already use intervals

• Power chords are a root plus a perfect 5th (often with the octave added).
• Major chords are a major 3rd plus a minor 3rd stacked; minor chords are the reverse.
• Double stops in country and blues are usually 3rds, 4ths or 6ths.
• Octave melodies (like jazz and funk lines) are the octave shape played up and down the neck.
• Harmony lines in rock and metal are often played in parallel 3rds or 5ths, two guitars a fixed interval apart.

Intervals Ear Training

Intervals ear training is how you connect the shapes to sounds. Spend five minutes a day on this routine:

1. Pick three intervals to focus on this week (start with the major 3rd, perfect 5th and octave).
2. Play and sing. Play the root, sing the upper note, then play it to check.
3. Use song references. Hum the start of the reference song from the chart to recall the sound.
4. Test yourself. Have a friend or an app play random intervals; name them before looking.
5. Hear them in songs. Listen for the first two notes of melodies and name the interval.

Our free Songwriter Suite includes a Train mode for interval and chord ear training, and musictheory.net’s ear trainer is another excellent free option.

Practice guitar intervals daily and your ear improves faster than you expect.

Compound Intervals: 9ths, 11ths and 13ths

Intervals larger than an octave are called compound intervals. They are simply a smaller interval plus an octave: a 9th is a 2nd plus an octave, an 11th is a 4th plus an octave and a 13th is a 6th plus an octave. You see these numbers in chord names like Cadd9, G13 or F#m11. On guitar, compound intervals are easy to find because the octave shape is so consistent: find the smaller interval, then move the upper note up an octave using the two-strings-over, two-frets-up shape (adjusted for the B string). Knowing this turns scary-looking chord symbols into ordinary guitar intervals you already understand.

Seeing guitar intervals as shapes is the quickest route to playing by ear.

Why Guitar Intervals Make Everything Easier

When you know intervals, scale formulas like 1-b3-4-5-b7 become directions on the fretboard. You can build any chord from scratch, find harmony lines and work out riffs by ear. Intervals also explain why the 7th chords sound the way they do and how the circle of fifths is organized.

Interval practice also helps you navigate by feel. If you want to keep your eyes off the neck, combine this lesson with how to play guitar without looking.

A Weekly Guitar Intervals Plan

• Week 1: Octaves and perfect 5ths. Play them on every string set.
• Week 2: Major and minor 3rds. Find them inside chords you already play.
• Week 3: Perfect 4ths and 6ths. Use them as double stops.
• Week 4: 7ths, 2nds and the tritone. Hear how tense they sound and how they resolve.

Keep each session short, around ten minutes, and always say the interval name out loud as you play it. By the end of a month, guitar intervals will feel less like theory and more like a map you can read at a glance.

Keep Learning on Sandy Music Lab

• Music Theory for Guitar: The Complete Beginner’s Guide
• Major Scale on Guitar: Patterns, Formula & Why It Matters
• 7th Chords on Guitar: Major 7, Dominant 7 & Minor 7
• 10 Common Types of Guitar Headstock Shapes & Parts 2026
• Different Types of Acoustic Guitar Body Shapes, Sizes & Styles
• How To Play Guitar Without Looking (9 Training Methods)

Sources

• Wikipedia – Interval (music))
• musictheory.net – Ear training exercises
• Wikipedia – Ear training

Frequently Asked Questions