Major Sixth Interval

major sixth overview

A major sixth spans nine half steps. From C, for example, a major sixth up is A. The number in its name counts the letter names it covers, including both ends: from C to A, C D E F G A is six, so it is a sixth. The nine half steps make it major. With one half step less, C to A♭, it would be a minor sixth.

Lesson Steps

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The major sixth is a minor third turned upside down. Played together it sounds warm and open; as a melodic leap it’s expressive and wide without straining. The outer notes of a major chord in second inversion, G up to E in C major, form a major sixth.

On the keyboard, a major sixth always has eight keys between its two notes. Depending on where it starts, those notes can fall on white or black keys, which gives it four different shapes.

The shapes of the major sixth on the piano

Each shape sits a little differently under the hand, so it is worth knowing them all. Under each keyboard, the same notes are on the staff: played together, then up, then down.

White key to white key: C to A

Major sixths that share this same shape are C–A, D–B, F–D, and G–E. There are eight keys in between (four white, four black).

White key to black key: E to C♯

Major sixths that share this same shape are E–C♯, A–F♯, and B–G♯. There are eight keys in between (five white, three black).

Black key to white key: E♭ to C

Major sixths that share this same shape are E♭–C, A♭–F, and B♭–G. There are eight keys in between (five white, three black).

Black key to black key: D♭ to B♭

Major sixths that share this same shape are D♭–B♭ and G♭–E♭. There are eight keys in between (five white, three black).

Reading the major sixth on the staff

A sixth goes from a line to a space, or from a space to a line, with two lines and two spaces in between. That stays true whatever the accidentals are: every sixth looks like a sixth, and the accidentals tell us its quality.

This is what makes intervals so useful for reading. Rather than naming every note from the clef, we read from one note to the next: once we know where we are, the shape on the staff tells us how far to move. Reading this way is relational rather than absolute, and it is much faster.

It works the same in the treble and bass clef, and at any height on the staff, so a reader who knows the look of a sixth recognizes it everywhere.

The major sixth in the hand

Sixths are wider than a five-finger position, so the hand opens slightly: 1 and 5, or 1 and 4 for a larger hand. The major sixth is a half step wider than the minor sixth, which is noticeable under the fingers when we play them one after the other.

The spacing on the staff and the spacing in the hand belong together. Beyond a fifth the fingers no longer map one to one onto the notes, so it helps to know the span as a whole hand shape: we see the distance on the staff, and the hand opens to it.

Inverting the major sixth

If we move the lower note up an octave (or the upper note down one), a major sixth becomes a minor third: C to A turns into A to C. The numbers of an interval and its inversion add up to nine, and their half steps to twelve (9 + 3). Major becomes minor.

On the keyboard the shapes swap as well: a white-to-black shape inverts to a black-to-white one, and a white-to-white shape stays white to white.

Practice the major sixth

Play the first shape, C to A, together and then one note after the other, and listen to the sound before moving on.
Find the same shape at every place it occurs on the keyboard (the lists under each image), then the other shapes. Notice how the hand changes as the keys change color, while the sound stays a major sixth.
Play a major sixth up from all twelve keys, naming the upper note as we go.
Read it: look for major sixths in a piece we know, and before playing each one, name the interval from its look on the staff.
Once the shapes are reliable, play the interval without looking at the hands, feeling the span between the fingers.

Avoid common mistakes with the major sixth

Confusing it with the minor sixth. Both look the same on the staff and the hand opens the same way. The difference is one half step: nine half steps for major, eight for minor.
Counting keys instead of half steps. The starting key isn’t counted: from C, the first half step is C♯.
Reading every note from the clef. Naming each note separately is slow. Reading the interval from the previous note is what lets the eye stay ahead of the hands.