COMPOUND INTERVALS

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compound interval

noun Music .
an interval that is greater than an octave, as a ninth or athirteenth.


Simple and compound
A simple interval is an interval spanning at most one octave. Intervals spanning more than one
octave are called compound intervals.
[9]

In general, a compound interval may be defined by a sequence or "stack" of two or more simple
intervals of any kind. For instance, a major tenth (two staff positions above one octave), also
called compound major third, spans one octave plus one major third. A major seventeenth (two
staff positions above two octaves) is another example of compound major third, and can be built
either by adding up two octaves and one major third, or four perfect fifths.
Any compound interval can be always decomposed into one or more octaves plus one simple
interval. For instance, a seventeenth can be always decomposed into two octaves and one
major third, and this is the reason why it is called a compound major third, even when it is built
using four fifths.
The diatonic number DN
c
of a compound interval formed from n simple intervals with diatonic
numbers DN
1
, DN
2
, ..., DN
n
, is determined by:

which can also be written as:

The quality of a compound interval is determined by the quality of the simple interval on
which it is based. For instance, a compound major third is a major tenth (1+(8-1)+(3-1) =
10), or a major seventeenth (1+(8-1)+(8-1)+(3-1) = 17), and a compound perfect fifth is
a perfect twelfth (1+(8-1)+(5-1) = 12) or a perfect nineteenth (1+(8-1)+(8-1)+(5-1) = 19).
Notice that two octaves are a fifteenth, not a sixteenth (1+(8-1)+(8-1) = 15). Similarly,
three octaves are a twenty-second (1+3*(8-1) = 22), and so on.
Intervals larger than a seventeenth seldom need to be spoken of, most often being
referred to by their compound names, for example "two octaves plus a fifth"
[10]
rather
than "a 19th".



Extensions
Compound intervals are named in 3rds from the 9th to the 13th.

All harmony can be expressed in chord notation. The biggest interval in chord notation is the
diatonic 13th. Bigger intervals like "two octaves and a diatonic 6th" are in the study of
transposition and voicing but not chordal harmony.
We support each compound interval with its preceding third. We support he 9th interval with a
four note chord, the 11th interval with a five note chord, the 13th interval with a six note chord.
Cmaj7 = C E G B
Cmaj9 = C E G B D
Cmaj9#11 = C E G B D F#
Cmaj13#11 = C E G B D F# A
In practice it is not always possible to play every harmonic tone. This makes harmonic analysis
devilishly interesting.
Some intervals are enharmonic. D# (the sharp 9th of C) and Eb (the minor 3rd of C) are
enharmonic. Whether the harmonic interval is sharp 9th or minor 3rd depends on the
surrounding intervals. The combined effect of all harmonic tones played together has more
bearing on the nature of the harmony than the distance between the tones. We will see some
chords in action in chapter 4.
Common intervals
Chord Foundations
Compound intervals
Chord Extensions
Root Octave
Flat 9th
Diatonic 9th
Minor 3rd Sharp 9th
Major 3rd
Diatonic 4th Diatonic 11th
Flat 5th Sharp 11th
Diatonic 5th
Augmented 5th
Diatonic 6th, Diminished 7th Diatonic 13th
Dominant 7th
Major 7th

think of "compound" as meaning, "add an octave to a simple (i.e. non-
compound) interval".

If you need to figure out a compound perfect 5th (which is the wrong name for
it, it's actually called a Perfect 12th, but ABRSM seems to be trying to rewrite
all of music theory) just figure out a simple perfect 5th.

Db to Ab is a perfect 5th.

Now just add an octave by moving the Ab up an octave - if the simple version
is Db just below the staff, then the Ab as the Perfect 5th will be in the 2nd
space. You just move the Ab up to the Ab an octave higher, on the first ledger
line above the staff (making it a Perfect 12th).


So simply, to make any simple interval Compound, add an octave - either by
raising the upper note an octave, or by lowering the lower note an octave.

To turn a compound interval into a simple interval, subtract an octave - either
by lowering the upper note an octave, or by raising the lower note an octave -
if the notes cross when you do this, you can't simplify the interval anymore (in
fact, at that point you're inverting them!).


By the way, the interval of the octave is so common, many people say "a
compound interval is larger than an octave", but in truth, the octave itself is a
compound interval - it's a compound unison. There are those that would argue
though that since there is no space between a unison, it's a "non-interval".
Whatever the case,the relationship between unison (or prime) and octave is
the same as that of 2nd to 9th, 5th to 12th, and so on.

Compound and Simple Intervals
Simple intervals are not bigger than an octave while compound intervals are larger than an
octave. Ninths, tenths, elevenths and thirteenth are examples of compound intervals. Octaves,
thirds, fifths are simple intervals.
Each compound interval is related to a simple interval. By subtracting 7 from the compound
interval you get the related simple interval. For example 9 - 7 = 2, so a 9th is related to a 2nd. A
compound interval has the same quality as the related simple interval. Several examples of
compound intervals and the related simple interval:

Major 9th / Major 2nd

Major 10th / Major 3rd

Perfect 11th / Perfect 4th

Perfect 12th / Perfect 5th

Major 13th / Major 6th