Press Up to hear a major third, then try the quiz!
Intervals · M3 ·
Major third
A major third is four semitones, the distance from C up to E. It is the first leap in "When the Saints Go Marching In," from "Oh" to "when."
Listen: C4 and E4
Quiz
Wormy plays one of these, up or down, from a different note each time. Can you tell which: minor third, major third, perfect fourth?
What it sounds like
Four keys apart, bright and open, like a bugle call or a doorbell. It sounds sunny without trying.
In music theory
Do up to mi is the bottom of every major chord, and it is what makes major sound major. Tuned pure, as choirs often sing it, it sits about 14 cents (1.4 bits) lower than the piano’s.
Where you've heard it
- When the Saints Go Marching In: "Oh when," do up to mi, going up.Traditional. Traditional American gospel song.
- Beethoven's Fifth Symphony: the famous opening, after three Gs, the drop to E♭, going down.Published 1809. Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 (Leipzig: Breitkopf & Härtel, 1809).
Every tune named here is public domain in the US or traditional. Wormy names the spot; it never plays the song.