The Major Sixth: Freedom

freedom, enthusiasm, exuberance, emancipation, escapism Ratio: 5:3

The inverse of a Minor Third is a Major Sixth, and it is a joyful sound. It implies the consonance of the Major Third, but lacks its intimacy; it is instead wide open and exuberant. The Major Sixth finds us comfortable and satisfied with who and where we are: we are free to move, free to imagine -- the world is our oyster. Untempered by consciousness, however, the Major Sixth can indicate a denial of problems at hand, a “rushing from” rather than an “opening into.”

Both Minor and Major Sixths reference the key center below them -- they point downward toward what is safe and solid. The sound of both dyads is characterized by their “stretched-ness,” by their “hole in the middle.” Where the Minor Sixth longs to be filled, though, the Major Sixth is free from the need.