Seconds can be major, minor, augmented or diminished. Below you can see that the number of half steps determines the quality of a second.
Major second, 1 whole step or 2 half steps:
Minor second, 1 half steps:
Augmented second, 3 half steps:
Seconds are probably the easiest intervals to identify. Yet, it is essential to master the identification of seconds to be able to identify other intervals.
To identify the quality of a second we must know:
With this in mind, we can count the number of half steps in a second:
If both notes are natural, we don't have to count the number of half steps if we remember that only the seconds E-F and B-C are half steps. If there are accidentals, we can use the following method:
Example: G#-A#:
Another example: C#-D double sharp:
See I > Intervals for related entries. To learn about go to Tutorials > Intervals.