Music theory games > Lessons > Pitch of sounds > Intervals > Doubly diminished seventh

Doubly diminished seventh

In music theory, a doubly diminished seventh is an interval that has four whole steps (tones ).

The doubly diminished seventh requires that:

- The interval must be an seventh interval (seven note names between the first and the last).
- The interval must have four whole steps.

What does a doubly diminished seventh look like?

Here is an example of a melodic doubly diminished seventh (two music notes in a melody) and a harmonic doubly diminished seventh (in a chord):

How to recognize a doubly diminished seventh?

Rule of music theory: All intervals in a major scale starting with the tonic (degree I) are either major or perfect, and only unison, octave, fourth and fifth are perfect (the others are major).

Example with the interval E / F♭♭:

Let's take the E flat major scale to have E as the tonic:

From the rule stated above, the interval E / F♯ is a major seventh, so the interval E / F is a minor seventh, so the interval E / F♭ is a diminished seventh, and so / F♭♭ is a doubly diminished seventh.