Printable worksheet
Compound Intervals Worksheet
Free compound intervals worksheet: name 9ths, 10ths, 11ths, 12ths and 13ths on the staff and reduce them to simple intervals. Printable, with answer key.
Compound Intervals Worksheet
Sheet #
Name Date Score /
Answer key
Compound Intervals Worksheet · Sheet #
How to use it
- Choose a difficulty and a task.
- Press New worksheet for a fresh set.
- Count the letter names to get the compound number, then work out the quality; to reduce, subtract 7 from the number.
- Show answers to check, or print the answer key on its own page.
This worksheet practises compound intervals: intervals bigger than an octave. They are named the same way as simple intervals; you just keep counting past the octave, so a 2nd above the octave is a 9th and a 3rd above the octave is a 10th.
The method#
- Number: count letter names from the lower to the upper note, including both ends. E up to the F-sharp an octave and a step above is a 9th.
- Quality: it is the same as the quality of the matching simple interval. A major 9th is a major 2nd plus an octave; a perfect 12th is a perfect 5th plus an octave.
- Reduce: subtract 7 from the number (9 becomes 2, 10 becomes 3, 13 becomes 6).
Tasks#
- Name: give the number and quality of the compound interval.
- Reduce: name it and the simple interval it equals.
- Write: write the compound interval above a given note.
Difficulty levels#
- Easy: natural notes, 9ths to 13ths, major, minor or perfect.
- Medium: sharps and flats allowed, 9ths to 14ths.
- Hard: augmented and diminished intervals, and the perfect 15th (a double octave).
Notes always stay within two ledger lines of the staff, so intervals larger than about two octaves are not used.
Frequently asked questions
What is a compound interval?
An interval larger than an octave, such as a 9th (an octave plus a 2nd) or a 10th (an octave plus a 3rd).
How do I reduce a compound interval to a simple one?
Subtract 7 from the number, or lower the upper note by an octave. A major 10th reduces to a major 3rd, and a perfect 12th reduces to a perfect 5th. The quality does not change.
Why is an octave plus a 2nd a 9th, not a 10th?
Counting letter names includes both ends. A to the next A is an octave (8); A up to the B above that is the ninth letter name counted, so a 9th.
Where do compound intervals appear in practice?
In chord names and chord extensions (9th, 11th, 13th chords), in wide-spaced piano or guitar voicings and in melodies with large leaps.