The 5-Minute Guide to Interval Ear Training

© EasyEarTraining.com
INTERVAL
The 5-Minute Guide to
Ear Training

Musicians are often told to
"learn intervals."
But why?

An interval is simply a pair of notes.
In fact it’s the distance between two
notes.
So what’s the big deal?

In this guide we'll cover:
About Intervals
What is an interval?
What’s the point of learning intervals?
What is “interval recognition”?
What are the different types of interval?
What music theory do I need to know?
What are “melodic” and “harmonic” intervals?

Learning Intervals
How is it possible to recognise intervals?
How can I learn to recognise intervals?
What are the most important intervals?
What are “compound” intervals and do I need
to learn them?
Where can I find good interval reference
songs?

Learning Intervals
How can I learn intervals with solfa?
How can I learn intervals by just doing it?
Do I need to master certain intervals before
moving on?
What if I get stuck learning intervals?
Why does singing intervals help you learn
them?

Using Intervals
How will intervals help me recognise chords
and progressions?
How will intervals help me improvise?
How will intervals help me play by ear?

Let's get started!
Note: If you need more details on any part of
this guide just visit:
http://eartra.in/intguide

About Intervals
For the full free guide visit: http://eartra.in/intguide

• What’s the point of learning intervals?
Intervals are the building blocks of your sense of
relative pitch.
This lets you hear the
pitch distances between notes.
Having good relative pitch is how you play by
ear, improvise, and write music easily.

• What is “interval recognition”?
"Recognising" an interval means that you hear a
pair of notes and you know how far apart in pitch
they are.
There are different names for the different
distances.

• What are the different types of interval?
There are 13 main types of interval.
They are named for the scale degree they
correspond to (e.g. “third”, “fourth”, “fifth”) and their
quality (normally “major”, “minor” or “perfect”).
Here's the list with the number of half-steps each
one represents:

• What are the different types of interval?
0 Unison
1 Semitone, Half-Step, or Minor Second
2 Tone, Whole Step or Major Second
3 Minor Third
4 Major Third
5 Perfect Fourth
6 Tri-Tone
7 Perfect Fifth
8 Minor Sixth
9 Major Sixth
10 Minor Seventh
11 Major Seventh
12 Perfect Octave

• What music theory do you need to know?
Just learn the names of each interval type.
You can learn lots of detailed theory and how to
“spell” each interval in each key, but you don’t
need to in order to benefit from learning interval
recognition.

• What are “melodic” and “harmonic”
intervals?
“Melodic” means played one note at a time,
either ascending or descending in pitch.
“Harmonic” means both notes are played
together.
To hear examples visit http://eartra.in/intguide

Learning Intervals

• How is it possible to recognise intervals?
Your ear recognises different types of interval in
two ways:
1. by their distinctive sound and/or
2. by the raw size of them.

• How can you learn to recognise intervals?
There are three methods for interval ear training.
Start with reference songs, then move on to
solfa (do-re-mi) or pure recognition drills.

• What are the most important intervals?
1. Start by learning major and minor seconds
because:
- they are the “stepping stones” the other
intervals are built from
- they’re the most common interval used
between notes in melodies.

2. Learn major and minor thirds  
 
because:
 
- they’re important for chords and harmony
- they're also common in melodies.

3. Learn perfect fourths and fifths
because: 
- they’re important for harmony, especially for
chord progressions.

• What are “compound” intervals and do you
need to learn them?
Compound intervals are bigger than an octave.
You probably don’t need to worry about them,
especially if you’re just starting out.

• Where can you find good
interval reference songs?
Google “interval reference songs” or follow these links to find
interval reference songs that appeal to you:
• JustinGuitar.com
• vcu.edu
• ChoralNet
• fromthewoodshed.com
• YouTube videos like this one
• Modern interval reference songs
Figuring out your own reference songs is also a useful exercise.

• How do you learn intervals with solfa?
You learn the syllables which correspond to each
interval.
e.g. “do” up to “so” is a perfect fifth.
There are exercises you can use to practice this.

• How do you learn intervals by
"pure recognition"?
Download some ear training MP3s which
demonstrate and test you on recognition.
Or use interactive software like interval ear
training apps or full online ear training courses.

• Do you need to master certain intervals
before moving on?
Mastery is not necessary.
Be persitent, because it does take time and
repetition to teach the brain new skills.
But if you’ve been stuck for a while, moving on
to something else can actually accelerate your
overall progress.

• What if you get stuck learning intervals?
Mix it up.
Change:
• the interval types you’re practising
• the instrument you're using
• the method you're using to learn intervals
Also, sing!

• Why does singing intervals help?
There’s an intimate biological connection
between brain, ears and voice.
By singing intervals you teach your brain to
judge their distances in a new and effective way.
Also, having accurate singing pitch
makes you a better musician.

Using Intervals

• How do intervals help you recognise chords
and progressions?
The intervals between the notes in chords
can help you recognise the chords.
The intervals between the root notes of
chords can help you recognise a
progression.
Fundamentally, intervals build your core
ability to identify all the notes you hear.

• How do intervals help you improvise?
Improvisation can be thought of as the ability to
imagine new music in your head and then bring
it out through your instrument.
When you imagine the next note you want to
play, intervals let you judge how far you need to
jump from your last note to hit it.

• How do intervals help you play by ear?
When you hear notes in music, interval
recognition lets you judge how far apart they are
from one another.
So once you know the identity of one note (e.g.
the melody starts on a C) you can figure out all
the other notes by ear.

Want to know more, or feeling ready to start
learning intervals?
Get the full free guide to interval ear training and
audio clips to learn and practice with here:
http://eartra.in/intguide
... or visit EasyEarTraining.com for hundreds
more ear training tutorials!

The 5-Minute Guide to Interval Ear Training

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