Major second
The major second is the whole tone, two semitone steps in size. With the ratio 9:8 it sounds mildly dissonant, mobile and driving forward. The Intervals page calls it the backbone of every melody.
- Size
- 2 degrees, 2 semitones (one whole tone)
- Ratio
- 9:8 (just)
- Sound
- mildly dissonant, mobile, flowing
- In the major scale
- five of seven steps
- On the guitar
- two frets apart
- Smaller
- minor second (semitone)
The whole tone
On the page Intervals it says: the major second, the “whole tone”, is the backbone of every melody. With a ratio of 9:8 it sounds mildly dissonant, distinctly more tense than a third or fifth, but nowhere near as harsh as the minor second. It is mobile, flowing and driving forward, the ideal step for developing a line. Almost every melody proceeds mainly in seconds.
Whole tones and semitones in C major
Five steps are major seconds, marked 1 under the notes, two are semitones (½). The step pattern is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half.
The major scale consists, according to the page, of five whole tones and two semitones. The pattern is whole, whole, half, whole, whole, whole, half. The minor scale is built similarly.
Familiar melodies
The Intervals page names melodies that begin with a major second:
| Melody | Beginning | Classification |
|---|---|---|
| Frère Jacques | C–D | major second upwards |
| Happy Birthday | G–G–A (upbeat) | major second upwards |
| “Alle meine Entchen” | C–D–E–F–G | three major seconds and one minor |
The second is so omnipresent that as listeners we hardly perceive it consciously any more. According to the page it is the basic movement of music.
Two whole tones make almost a third
The Intervals page records another peculiarity: two successive whole tones make approximately a major third. 9/8 times 9/8 is 81/64, very close to the pure major third with 5/4, that is 80/64. The difference is called the syntonic comma.
On the guitar
At 8/9 of the string length the whole tone sounds. On the guitar that corresponds to a distance of two frets. If you fret the high E string at 329.63 Hz at the 2nd fret, F♯ sounds at 369.99 Hz, in equal temperament the frequency rises by the factor 2^(2/12) ≈ 1.1225 (pure whole tone: 9/8 = 1.125). Whole-tone steps are, according to the page, the standard movement in scale playing: in a major scale you go on exactly two frets at five of seven places. This regular pattern makes playing scales on stringed instruments predictable and easy to learn.
In the harmonic series the whole tone can be found directly: the 9th natural harmonic lies in the ratio 9:8 to the 8th. It sounds three octaves plus a major second above the fundamental. On the high E string it would lie, according to the page, at about the position of a theoretical 38th fret, far above the fingerboard.
Example from the sheet music archive
Voice with chords
-
Alle meine Entchen Children's song, folk melody · voice with chords · 1 page
The melody begins with C–D–E–F–G. The first two steps C–D and D–E are major seconds, E–F is a minor one, F–G a major one again. Time signature 4/4, chord C.
Common mistakes
- Confusing whole tone and major second: Both mean two semitones, “whole tone” names the step, “major second” the interval.
- Treating all steps of the scale alike: Two are semitones (E–F, B–C), five are whole tones.
- Mixing second and third: A second spans two degrees, a third three, even if two whole tones sound almost like a major third.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
Minor secondWhole-tone stepSemitoneIntervalScaleMajorUnison (prime)Major thirdDiatonicismDissonance
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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