The Cycle of Fifths
An interval is the distance between any two notes of different pitches. In written music the smallest distance between two notes is called a semitone. On the Bass guitar a semitone is the distance of 1 fret.
Within 1 octave of music (i.e., the range of 8 notes e.g., C D E F G A B C), there are 12 semitones (12 frets).
There are 12 different intervals, all of which are illustrated in the following table.
- The smallest interval is a semitone (i.e., 1 fret). This is called a Minor Second. If you play a note that is 1 fret above a given starting note, the interval is a minor second.
- The next interval is a tone (2 frets) above the Root note. This interval is called a Major Second.
Chords, melodies and scales are all made from combinations of intervals. Bass players are often required to create or improvise a bass line for a chord progression or song. To be able to do this, they need to know the relative positions of these intervals on the fretboard.
The easiest way to remember intervals is to remember their pattern on the fretboard. In the following fretboard diagram, all the interval positions are shown relative to a given Root note. Although the root illustrated is shown on the 4th string, the relative positions (patterns) remain the same regardless of where the root note is positioned.
