Learning intervals

Jay

Senior Member
I'm trying to learn my intervals. I knew the major ones, which I knew by having songs that they formed the start of. By searching around, I've found songs for the minor/augmented ones too. I'm sure there are more technical ways of learning these, but this seems to work for me, so here they are in case they're any use to anyone else:

Minor 2nd - Pink Panther
- We will, we will rock you (Queen)

Major 2nd - Happy Birthday
- Three blind mice

Minor 3rd - Brahms lullaby
- Hey Jude

Major 3rd - Oh when the Saints
- Summertime

Perfect 4th - Away in a Manger

Augmented 4th - Maria (WSS)

Perfect 5th - Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star

Minor 6th - The Entertainer
- Love Story

Major 6th - My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean

Minor 7th - Somewhere (West Side Story) - There's a place for us

Major 7th - Somewhere over the Rainbow (first & third notes)

Octave - as above (first and second notes)
 
I had to look up Away in a Manger since the first tune to come to mind starts with a unison. It seems there are at least 3 versions of that tune. For me the Perfect Fourth is the Wedding March (Here comes the bride) or Oh Christmas Tree.

That is an excellent way to learn "melodic" intervals where each note is sounded separately one after the other. Learning to identify "harmonic" intervals when the notes are sounded at the same time is a different matter altogether. It is easy to confuse an interval with its inversion, for example to hear a perfect 5th and mistake it for a perfect 4th. The major 6th inverted becomes a minor 3rd which has a similar tone color. The minor 6th inverted is a major 3rd which has a similar sound. The way to tell these apart if that one is more open sounding than the other. Fortunately the augmented 4th/diminished 5th (tritone) is the same interval when inverted.

Once you get the 2 note harmonic intervals down, then it is time to learn to identify the triads, and four note chords. From there is a lifetime of learning how "extensions" color the harmony---especially on dominant 7th chords. Congratulations, you are off to a great start.
 
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Oh yes, I'd forgotten the unison Away in a Manger tune. Those are two good 'perfect 4th' tunes. And Taps.

I now have a minor 7th earworm aka 'Somewhere'!

Melodic intervals first, two note harmonics next.....
 
I found playing what I hear in my head far easier after commencing interval studies. Well worth doing. Playing 4 quaver (8th) notes (working with a different interval each day) through different progressions (such the the Cycle of 4/5th, chromatically, etc.) I find a useful addition to my practice routine.

Say major 3rds working round the cycle clockwise: C,E,C,E,,G,B,G,B, etc.
 
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