So the other day, I was talking with Ben. He plays guitar and is really good. And we started chatting about consonant and dissonant intervals in music. You know … because it’s super-interesting stuff … and, well … um, wait … what are you looking at?

Okay, we were totally geeking out. And, like any true music nerd, I actually got chills talking about these note intervals. Why? Because the note patterns that jumped out before our eyes were amazing.

In case you didn’t know, consonant and dissonant intervals are at the very heart of music theory. You might even say they make the musical world go round. Because these intervals tell us what sounds good and what sounds bad.

In a nutshell, a consonant interval is the space between any pair of notes that sound really nice together. For example, if two notes sound like harmonious peanut butter and jelly, then you know they are consonant.

Dissonant intervals, on the other hand, sound like crap. So if two notes sound more like sour pickles and moldy cheese, then you know they are dissonant. And that’s why most musicians try to avoid these kinds of intervals. They sound terrible!

So the only question is, “How do we know which intervals are consonant and which intervals are dissonant?” If they’re so important in songwriting, then we need an easy way to select the best intervals. That way, our music will always sound good…..