Generic interval
![The major scale is maximally even. For example, for every generic interval of a second there are only two possible specific intervals: 1 semitone (a minor second) or 2 semitones (a major second).](/Images/godic/202501/15/Maximal_evenness_seconds4045.png")
In diatonic set theory a generic interval is the number of scale steps between notes of a collection or scale. The largest generic interval is one less than the number of scale members. (Johnson 2003, p.26)
In the diatonic collection the generic interval is one less than the corresponding diatonic interval: