INTERVALS (5THS)

This month Shaun Baxter delves into quintal harmony by exploring ‘scale 5ths’ in the context of a blues-rock solo using Mixolydian mode.

- Shaun Baxter

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Info

Key: A

Tempo: 160bpm

CD: TRACKS 84-86

Will improve your

Recognision of 5th intervals

Creating of lines using 5ths

Understanding of scales

In this current series, we’ve been looking at ways of exploring specific intervals within Mixolydian. So far, we’ve studied 2nds, 3rds and 4ths, and in this lesson it’s the turn of 5ths. Intervals are a great way of developing approaches that have distinct flavours. Each interval-type has its own innate character, and this is something that we can use to our advantage in order to control the musical complexion of what we do when improvising.

Within the modes of the Major scale, each 5th interval will be one of two types:

1) Diminished fifth = six semitones