Seconds · 1 semitones
Minor 2nd
The smallest interval in Western music — just one semitone. Intensely dissonant and tense, it creates an urgent need to resolve.
How to Hear It
How to Identify It
The most dissonant interval in common use. It sounds like two notes that almost clash — extremely close together. Think of the Jaws theme — those two alternating notes are a minor 2nd.
Famous Examples
- Jaws theme — two alternating notes, a minor 2nd apart
- The chromatic scale — each step is a minor 2nd
- Pink Panther theme — opening chromatic line
Often Confused With
All Intervals
About the Minor 2nd
The Minor 2nd (m2) is a dissonant interval spanning 1 semitones. The smallest interval in Western music — just one semitone. Intensely dissonant and tense, it creates an urgent need to resolve.
To train your ear to identify the minor 2nd reliably, practice hearing it in all three modes — ascending, descending, and harmonic. The ascending version is most commonly tested, but recognising it in all contexts is the mark of a trained ear. Use the trainer above to test yourself in a mixed set of all intervals.