Beginner A Major 6th ? Why?

Hi all, I know I should know this, but... the alto is a major 6th below concert C (Eflat) but when you count down all notes it comes to 9 (not 6) so where does the '6' come from? Why not say the alto sounds 9 chromatic steps below concert C ? :confused2:
 
A tone, a tone and half a tone seperated by a tone is a major scale.

The interval between the first note and the sixth note is called a sixth.

9 semitones down is the long way down. 3 up is easier. Minor third.
 
agree with Colin but breaking it down further,
for example,
In C major the 6th note of the scale is A but in reality to get to it using all interval notes it is 9 chromatic steps as you said (c,c sharp,d,d sharp,e, f, f sharp, g, g sharp then A). this is chromatically tho....that is where you are getting mixed up by thinking of it in the literal sense moving up chromatically instead of in the sense i outline below.

The term "major" 6th has a clue in the title as it relates to the steps needed to get up to it in a MAJOR scale, hence major 6th, so if we go up in steps using the formula for the C major scale it is 6 steps - C,D,E,F,G,A.
this applies to all related major 6th intervals in all major keys.
using the key signatures of the starting note of the major key.
D the major 6th is B - d,e,f sharp, g, a then b.
Eb the major 6th is C. - Eb, f,g,Ab, Bb then c.
and so on
 
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I just learned something new from Thesaxman. The third is also major in major scales as well. :lb:

In the natural and harmonic minor scales, both the third and the sixth are minor. The 7th is more complicated, and the 2nd doesn't work at all.
 
I just learned something new from Thesaxman. The third is also major in major scales as well. :lb:

In the natural and harmonic minor scales, both the third and the sixth are minor. The 7th is more complicated, and the 2nd doesn't work at all.
glad you got something out of my ramblings 🙂
even if you are kinda joking
 
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A tone, a tone and half a tone seperated by a tone is a major scale.

The interval between the first note and the sixth note is called a sixth.

9 semitones down is the long way down. 3 up is easier. Minor third.

Yes, but I don't understand the first line. I think you meant TTHTTTH for the intervals. (T=tone, H=half tone). Or in your description TTH T TTH.

John, to put a touch more flesh on it:

The gaps between the notes in a scale are called intervals. They're numbered from 1 to 8 (octave) and higher when you go into the second octave.

Where it gets confusing is that the first interval, number one is unison - i.e. the same note.

So talking C major

C->C (same note or unison) is a first
C->D is a second
C->E is a third

and so on.

They distinguish between major and minor (as in Colin's example) because the TTHTTTH pattern of gaps between the notes of a major scale becomes THTTHTT in a minor scale. So in a major scale, the interval from the first to the second note is a full tone. And from the second to the third is also a full tone. So the major third is 2 full tones. However in a minor scale, althought the interval from the first to the second is the same as the major scale, the interval from the second to the third is only a half tone, so a minor third is, as Colin said one and a half full tones. Same goes for most of the other intervals, except second, fourth, fifth and octave, which are the same in both major and minor scales. Grab a keyboard and use the white note scales (C major/A minor) to see it easily.
 
Agree with kevgermany, it is much easier to grasp if you have a keyboard to play with.

I have seen the comment on several sites that, even if you don't play keyboards and don't intend ever to learn to be a keyboard player as such, it is well worth a horn player getting one.

You can tinker with it and hear and SEE the scales and chords. Visual images are a very powerful tool for memorisation.

Hell, I need to get one... the excuse is to help my eight year old... but dad wants to get his hands on it for himself, too...

Just to add to that, there are free piano lessons on youtube... I wanna go at the boogie-woogie for beginners....YES!
 
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You could complicate matters further by mentioning the melodic minor scale where the 6th is major going up, minor coming down.
I just learned something new from Thesaxman. The third is also major in major scales as well. :lb:

In the natural and harmonic minor scales, both the third and the sixth are minor. The 7th is more complicated, and the 2nd doesn't work at all.
 
This probably is not going to add to what has already been said, but the 6th bit refers to how many notes names there are between (and including) the note you start on and the note you end on alphabetically (adding that when you get to G you go back to A again)
So ...
C to C is one (aka unison or octave if you've gone up or down a whole octave)
C to D is two (second, ninth, ....)
....
C to A is six (sixth, thirteenth, ....)

As for the major bit, I always ask myself if that note would have been in the major scale of that note. So counting from C, A would appear in the scale of C major, hence major 6th.
If it was Ab instead......Ab occurs in the scale of C natural minor (Aeolian) (not C major) so this is a minor 6th
And if it was A#..... This would be an Augmented 6th....but maybe we shouldn't go there?

For perfect 4ths and 5ths, you get augmented and diminished 4ths and 5ths, but not major and minor.... Watch out, Can of worms coming along.....
 
This probably is not going to add to what has already been said, but the 6th bit refers to how many notes names there are between (and including) the note you start on and the note you end on alphabetically (adding that when you get to G you go back to A again)
.

This is a clear way to think about it IMO. From the Eb major scale:

Eb F G Ab Bb C
1..2..3..4..5..6

So C is a (major) 6 up from Eb.
 
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and i thought i answered fairly clearly too, escalated out of proportion here, reminds me of the old joke about sax player and the light bulb 🙂))
 
I allways think of the transposition as we would tune up in the Military Band. the tune up note was Bb for the open note { no valves} for the trp. so the Eb instr would play G the Bb instr. would play C. I hope that does not complicate it for the op. but it can be useful if you play Alto and Tenor. Just think for concert Bb Alto G Tenor C.:shocked:
 
Soooo, not the chromatic scale, but I take any major scale, then count 6 moves down that scale?
:headscratch:

Its easier to think minor third down from concert. or the relative minor scale to the major ie. CMAJ Rel minor A..... Bb MAJ rel minor G etc.

PS. Because i know you are practicing your scales.🙂))
 
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