Major sixth
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| Inverse | minor third | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | ||
| Other names | - | |
| Abbreviation | M6 | |
| Size | ||
| Semitones | 9 | |
| Interval class | 3 | |
| Just interval | 5:3 | |
| Cents | ||
| Equal temperament | 900 | |
| Just intonation | 884 | |
A major sixth is the larger of two commonly occurring musical intervals that span six diatonic scale degrees. The prefix 'major' identifies it as being the larger of the two (by a chromatic semitone); its smaller counterpart being a minor sixth. The major 6th is abbreviated as M6, and its inversion is the minor third. Its most common occurrence is between the third and (upper) root of minor chords.
A major sixth in just intonation most often corresponds to a pitch ratio of 5:3 or 1.6666, or various other ratios, while in an equal tempered tuning, a major sixth is equal to nine semitones, a ratio of 1:29/12 (approximately 1.682), or 900 cents, 15.641 cents wider. The ratios of both major and minor sixths are the ratios of pairs of consecutive numbers of the Fibonacci sequence: 5 and 8 for a minor third and 3 and 5 for a major third, the golden ratio lying between the minor sixth and the major sixth.
The major sixth is one of consonances of common practice music, along with the unison, octave, perfect fifth, major and minor thirds, minor sixth and (sometimes) the perfect fourth. In the common practice period, sixths were considered interesting and dynamic consonances along with their inverses the thirds, but in medieval times they were considered dissonances unusable in a stable final sonority; however it should be noted that in that period they were tuned very sharp, to the Pythagorean major sixth of 27/16. In just intonation, the major sixth is classed as a consonance of the 5-limit.
[edit] See also
| Diatonic intervals | edit |
| Perfect : unison (0) | fourth (5) | fifth (7) | octave (12) | |
| Major : second (2) | third (4) | sixth (9) | seventh (11) | |
| Minor : second (1) | third (3)| sixth (8) | seventh (10) | |
| Augmented : unison (1) | second (3) | third (5) | fourth (6) | fifth (8) | sixth (10) | seventh (12) | |
| Diminished : second (0) | third (2) | fourth (4) | fifth (6) | sixth (7) | seventh (9) | octave (11) | |
| semitones of equal temperament are given in brackets | |
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