Do you have descriptions of the character/essence/feel of each interval?

[kmon]

I've been working through an ear training course and focusing on identifying intervals. The app plays a root and then the interval. I'm working with a basic subset: major seconds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, major 7th and octave...

I find myself assigning a character or feeling to each interval. 5ths are kind of triumphant. Octaves are triumphant but more than 5ths. 7ths are like octaves but a little uneasy. 6ths have this questioning quality. I just threw the 4ths in this morning and haven't quite nailed a description yet.

This is just to my ear, but it seems to help with identification. Do you do this? How would you describe those intervals or others that strike you as having a particularly distinct character?

 

[Nashrakh]

Not particularly "characters" of each interval, but during my ear training classes, we were taught to associate intervals with certain well-known melodies that use that interval. Especially the uncommon, wider intervals.

 

[ahadl2500]

I have seen it taught by associating with a character description. That approach seems to work well for some. I never did well with the description. I learned it by actually playing the intervals (at first just as tones together, later on through improv over chord progressions and trying out the various intervals).

I have also seen the associating it with other songs approach. That one worked better for me, but I still found actually sitting down and playing intervals myself (knowing what they were when I played them) then later applying what I heard when playing myself (through listening/quizzed intervals etc.) was a better approach for me.

I am not pretending some form of superiority in my approach beyond stating it helped me. People learn things differently (as true with math/history/science/reading etc. as it is for music). Find what works for you and go with it.

 

[LetItGrowTone]

I support the idea that intervals project feeling, or attitude.
Along with the other reasons for selecting a note, I think this could be coordinated with the feelings suggested by the lyrics.

 

[Shenron]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

I am also using an ear training app. I am still terrible at recognizing chords, but have become much better at recognizing intervals played melodically.

For me the game changer was just to find a song the melody of which starts (or contains at a key position) with that particular interval. For some intervals it worked so well that I basically never got them wrong again since I found the right song, such as "Happiess is a Warm Gun" for an ascending minor 3rd. Bigger intervals are still challenging even with reference songs.

 

[Prodigus Filius]

Sounds like a great idea to me!

I am also using an ear training app. I am still terrible at recognizing chords, but have become much better at recognizing intervals played melodically.

For me the game changer was just to find a song the melody of which starts (or contains at a key position) with that particular interval. For some intervals it worked so well that I basically never got them wrong again since I found the right song, such as "Happiess is a Warm Gun" for an ascending minor 3rd. Bigger intervals are still challenging even with reference songs.

The classic ascending minor 3rd interval is 'Smoke on the water..'. Descending is 'Hey Jude'. I've found associating intervals from a song's melody the best approach to intervals hearing. Can't recall where I got this info from, but

*minor 2nd
-Ascending: Jaws Theme
-Descending: Joy to the world

*Major 2nd
-Ascending: Happy Birthday
-Descending: Mary had A little Lamb

*Minor 3rd
-Ascending: Smoke on the water
-Descending: Hey Jude

*Major 3rd
-Ascending: Kumbaya
-Descending: Swing Low sweet chariot

*Perfect 4th
-Ascending: Amazing Grace
-Descending: Born Free
*Tritone
-Ascending: Simpsons Theme
-Descending: 'Black Sabbath' by Black Sabbath

*Perfect 5th
-Ascending: Twinkle Twinkle little star
-Descending: Flinstones theme

*Minor 6th
-Ascending: Shalom Aleichem
-Descending: Love story ( from movie)

* Major 6th
-Ascending: For he's a jolly good fellow
-Descending: Music of the night ( from Phantom of the Opera)

* Minor 7th
-Ascending: The winner takes it all (Abba)
-Descending: Lady Jane (Rolling Stones)

*Major 7th
-Ascending: Take on me (by A-Ha)
-Descending: I love you ( by Col Porter)

*Perfect Octave
-Ascending: Somewhere over the rainbow
-Descending: The lonely goatherd' (from the The Sound of music).

Of course you have to identify where in the tune the interval is heard. After that it sticks out like dogs knackers.
Take the major 7th ascending for example Take > on

 

[Groove Doctor]

I still found actually sitting down and playing intervals myself (knowing what they were when I played them) then later applying what I heard when playing myself (through listening/quizzed intervals etc.) was a better approach for me

The naming the character or associating with a song IMHO is like cramming for an exam. They help at first but hinder you later on.

Nothing replaces the hard work of internalising them as I quoted above. It took me MONTHS of doing this every single day for 10-30 minutes.

Further, Playing it on a piano then singing it out loud was the connection I needed.



Also it’s critical to learn to hear/ sing intervals in context

an ascending major 6th interval could be:

* Root - 6th in a major chord, or a minor chord in Dorian mode,
Eg. C - A in C6 chord or Cm chord.

+ b3rd - Octave in a minor chord
eg C - A in an A minor chord.

* 5th - 3rd octave above (10th) in a major chord
eg. C - A in F major chord.

* b7th - 5th octave above.
eg. C - A in a D7 chord.

Put in context and you’ll start hearing note intervals within chords. It’ll blow your mind.

Bonus tip:
Compose a simple song with the chords C6 Am F D7
with the melody playing an ascending Maj 6th interval of C-A over each of those chords. You’ll be amazed how quickly you internalise and can sing it this way.

 

[SteveCS]

Further, Playing it on a piano then singing it out loud was the connection I needed.



Also it’s critical to learn to hear/ sing intervals in context

This ^^

I was fortunate enough to start out from a young age with several years of classical and pastoral vocal training. My voice now, some 40+ years on, is all but gone in terms of real quality, but the ear, including the internalisation of tonality, intervals and the like, remains. If anything it is better because I still work on it using formal.methods, even if it is lost on some of the music I now play!