In the next lesson you will hear either a Perfect 4th or a Perfect 5th played harmonically as a chord and you will identify it.
Perfect 4ths and 5ths sound very similar and can be hard to distinguish when both notes are played at once.
| Perfect 4th – Chord | |
| Perfect 5th – Chord |
The reason is they sound similar is that 4ths and 5ths are are inversions of each other.
Inversion means taking the bottom note and moving it up an octave. It’s like flipping it over.
For example, if you had a Perfect 4th with the notes C and F, then moved the C up an octave, you would now have F and C, which is a Perfect 5th.
One strategy for hearing the difference is to imagine the two notes played separately as a melody.
You can also try singing the individual notes.
Please press the Exercise button below.