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Major second

Two semitones, the common scale step. It appears in almost every stepwise melody.

2 semitones Symbol M2 Mild dissonance

Listen

See

C → D

Where you have heard it

Ascending

Parabéns a você the first two notes

Frère Jacques opening

Descending

Mary Had a Little Lamb opening

Yesterday first two notes

What it gets confused with

Minor second One semitone narrower, and far more tense. The major second is the one that sounds like a normal step in a melody. Minor third One semitone wider, and it already sounds consonant — the point where a step becomes a leap.

Frequently asked

How many semitones is a major second?

Two — a whole tone, for example between C and D.

How do I recognise it by ear?

It opens "Happy Birthday" and "Frère Jacques": the ordinary step of a scale.

What is its inversion?

The minor seventh. Turn a major second upside down and you get ten semitones instead of two.

There is an exercise track dedicated to recognising this by ear.

Train this