Minor sixth: hear it in The Entertainer
The minor sixth is 8 semitones. Play it up, down and together, hear it in The Entertainer, and learn to tell it from the major sixth and the fifth.
A minor sixth is 8 semitones, such as E up to C or C up to A flat. It is a wide, bittersweet leap, one semitone bigger than a perfect fifth. In Scott Joplin's The Entertainer the jump from the 3rd to the 4th note is a rising minor sixth.
Listen to a minor sixth
E to C: 8 semitones.
What does a minor sixth sound like?
Yearning and a bit melancholy. Played together it is consonant but soft and dark, like the top and bottom of a major chord in first inversion (E and C in E G C).
Songs that start with a minor sixth
| Song | Direction | Where |
|---|---|---|
| The Entertainer (Scott Joplin) | Up | between the 3rd and 4th notes |
Titles only. Each melody's opening was checked note by note; songs we were not sure of are left out.
How do you recognise a minor sixth by ear?
- Sing a perfect fifth and push the top note one half step higher: that is the minor sixth.
- It is the upside-down major third: if you can hear C up to E, then E up to C is the minor sixth.
- The major sixth (9 semitones) sounds brighter and more open; the minor sixth sounds darker and more longing.
Quick test: minor sixth or not?
Four sounds. Each one is a minor sixth or one of the intervals people confuse it with. Listen, then pick.
Score: / 4 (your score updates as you answer)
The minor sixth on every note
Intervals are spelled by letter: a minor sixth always spans 6 letter names, which is why the top note is sometimes a sharp or a flat.
| From | Minor sixth up | Hear it |
|---|---|---|
| C | A♭ | |
| D♭ | B♭♭ | |
| D | B♭ | |
| E♭ | C♭ | |
| E | C | |
| F | D♭ | |
| F♯ | D | |
| G | E♭ | |
| A♭ | F♭ | |
| A | F | |
| B♭ | G♭ | |
| B | G |
Minor sixth in numbers
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Semitones | 8 |
| Size on a piano (equal temperament) | 800 cents |
| Pure (just) ratio | 8:5 = 813.7 cents |
| Piano vs pure | -13.7 cents |
| Inversion | Major third (4 semitones) |
Frequently asked questions
How many semitones are in a minor sixth?
Eight. For example E to C, A to F, or C to A flat.
Is a minor sixth the same as an augmented fifth?
They are the same keys on a piano (8 semitones) but are spelled differently: C to A flat is a minor sixth (six letter names), C to G sharp is an augmented fifth (five letter names).
What is the inversion of a minor sixth?
A major third: E up to C is a minor sixth, C up to the next E is a major third (8 + 4 = 12 semitones).
What song has a minor sixth at the start?
Scott Joplin's The Entertainer: after two short pickup notes, the melody leaps a minor sixth from E up to C.