Help Clearing up some terms

[Coward Of Reali]

I'm reading up on theory but I dont know what it means when they say 'perfect fifths' and 'minor thirds' and all that jazz.

[Zaxyl]

It's what they call the different intervals between notes:
unison-same pitch
minor 2nd-1 halfstep apart
major 2nd-2 halfsteps
minor third-3 steps
major third-4 steps
perfect fourth-5 steps
diminished fifth-6steps
perfect fifth-7steps
augmented fifth-8steps
major sixth(I think?)-9steps
dominant seventh-10steps
major seventh-11steps
octave-12 steps

Also, perfect fifths and minor thirds are a lot of the times talking about chords--they're what makes up a chord after all. G is a perfect fifth up from C, which is also the fifth note of the C scale/fifth of the chord. Eb is a minor third up from C, and also the third note/minor third of the chord.

Hope that helps a bit!

[Jazzin']

This is the way I learned it. I guess either way is right, but when when hearing an interval by ear, this is the best way to identify it.
1 - unison-same pitch-root
-2 - minor 2nd-1 halfstep apart-semitone
+2 - major 2nd-2 halfsteps-tone
-3 - minor third-3 steps
+3 - major third-4 steps
P4 - perfect fourth-5 steps
o5 - diminished fifth-6steps-tritone
P5 - perfect fifth-7steps
-6 - minor sixth-8steps
+6 - major sixth-9steps
-7 - minor seventh-10steps
+7 - major seventh-11steps
P8 - octave-12 steps

[Coward Of Reali]

Thank you both so much that really clears it up

[geoffkhan]

Originally Posted by Jazzin'

This is the way I learned it. I guess either way is right, but when when hearing an interval by ear, this is the best way to identify it.
1 - unison-same pitch-root
-2 - minor 2nd-1 halfstep apart-semitone
+2 - major 2nd-2 halfsteps-tone
-3 - minor third-3 steps
+3 - major third-4 steps
P4 - perfect fourth-5 steps
o5 - diminished fifth-6steps-tritone
P5 - perfect fifth-7steps
-6 - minor sixth-8steps
+6 - major sixth-9steps
-7 - minor seventh-10steps
+7 - major seventh-11steps
P8 - octave-12 steps

Yup! Thanks for taking the time to print it out all nice and neat like that!

Or major seventh could be "diminished octave" (for example, if you write C, and then Cb an octave up) depending on the context. Actually I haven't ever heard of someone using "diminished octave", but I think it's cool, and I hope someday I will be able to use the term.