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What Is an Interval in Music? The Scale of C Major on the Piano Shows You
In music, the pitch gap between any two notes is called an interval. Think of an interval as a relationship between two pitches. You can play the two pitches successively (a melodic interval)—usually the lower one first—or simultaneously (a harmonic interval).
So, that makes the pitch relationship between the first note and the eighth note an interval of an octave.
You get the same scale when you play the white notes on the piano starting at C. Any old C. You don’t have to start with Middle C on the piano (Figure 11):
FIGURE 11 The “Do-Re-Mi” Scale—Play the White Kyes On the Piano Starting with C
Since the scale has eight notes (including the first and last notes), the pitch gap between the first note and the eighth note is called an octave.