Thirtia is not easy

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

For those who have ever encountered such a musical science as solfeggio, the idea of intervals is basic, and therefore quite understandable. However, even simple intervals are fraught with secrets that a young musician may not be aware of. Are you curious to know the secrets that intervals hold in themselves? Then go ahead! This article is about the secrets that are contained in the third.

Special Interval

Third is an interval of three scale steps or the third degree of tonality. The minor third contains one and a half tones, the major - two. Everything, in general, is simple. But don't jump to conclusions.

In fact, it is thirds that largely determine the character and mood of the entire piece of music. It is worth changing a large interval to a small one - and now shades of sadness appear in a light work. The secret that the third keeps in itself is called the mode. The major third is the base of the major triad, the minor, respectively, forms the minor. Often, instead of a triad, it is precisely these parts that are notgive doubts about the modality of the works.

Non-standard thirds

Besides major and minor intervals, there are augmented and diminished thirds. They are formed in connection with an increase or decrease in the steps of the fret and require mandatory resolution in pure intervals.

Augmented third is an interval that is built on the 2nd reduced scale degree (major or minor). In this case, the 4th stage is necessarily increased. SW.3 resolves into a pure tonic fifth. The interval itself sounds like a perfect fourth, the difference will be visible only in musical notation.

The diminished third is built around stable scale steps. Acoustically, an interval sounds just like a major second. The third in a reduced version must be resolved into pure prima.

• The reduced interval of the 7th step is built in natural major and harmonic minor when the 2nd step is lowered. This interval always resolves to the tonic.
• M.3 of the second step is built on the 2nd raised step of the major and on the 2nd (pure) minor (when the 4th step is lowered), resolves to the 3rd step.
• D.3 raised 4th degree builds in harmonic major and natural harmonic minor, resolves to 5th degree.

In fact, an increased or decreased third is an extremely rare phenomenon in music. And yet, even novice musicians need to know about them.

Major in Minor

Such a feature as the appearance of a major third in the final cadence of a minor piece has become verypopular among composers of the 16th-18th centuries. and entered the history of world music under the name "Picardian third". Such an unusual sound, first of all, gained its popularity because it was considered a symbol of the victory of good over evil, and therefore the use of the Picardy third breathed hope into the depressing minor sound.

The most famous classic example of the use of Picardy thirds was J. S. Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, a collection of preludes and fugues written in all existing keys. Most of the minor fugues in this collection end with the optimistic major third.

How to build thirds and triads

At first glance, everything seems simple and clear: a third is an interval of three steps. But a novice musician can be confused by semitones, or, more simply, black keys. What should be considered the starting point: the number of keys or the names of the stages?

All doubts are dispelled when it comes to understanding that it is the steps of the scale that serve as the basis for building intervals, that is, building a large third from the note “do”, it should be considered as follows: “do-re-mi” - three steps. Downward intervals are constructed in the same way. It remains only to count the number of tones and semitones, and it will immediately become clear which of the thirds you have to deal with.

Tonic triads are built according to the following principle:

• A major triad consists of a major third at the bottom and a minor at the top. As mentioned earlier, in order toto understand the mood of the work, it is enough to have a lower major third.
• A minor triad is built in the exact opposite of a major one: at its base there is a minor third, above which there is always a major one.

In addition to the classic tonic triads, there are often increased and decreased ones. It is not difficult to guess that when building them, two large or, conversely, two small thirds are used simultaneously, forming the corresponding dissonant chord.

Music is fraught with many unsolved mysteries and mysteries. And if you think that theory is boring, try to look a little deeper and you will understand what an amazing and mysterious world it is!