Identifying Intervals by Ear

Lesson 13/184 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Guitar Chord Manual

Identifying Intervals by Ear

Since all melodies are made up of a series of intervals, it is essential to learn to identify intervals by ear and be able to reproduce them at will, both with your voice and on your instrument.

If you can sing something accurately, it means you are hearing it accurately. Here are some ways of developing your ability to identify and reproduce intervals. The example used in the first two exercises is a minor 3rd, but it is essential to go through these processes with all intervals.

Choose an interval you wish to work on (e.g., minor 3rds). Play a starting note (e.g., C) and sing it. Then sing a minor 3rd up from that note (Eb). Hold the note with your voice while you test its accuracy on your instrument. Then choose another starting note and repeat the process. Keep doing this until you are accurate every time. The next step is to sing the interval (in this case a minor 3rd) downwards from your starting note. Again, do this repeatedly until you are accurate every time.
Sing the same interval consecutively upwards and then downwards several times. For example, start on C and sing a minor 3rd up from it (Eb). Then sing a minor 3rd up from Eb (Gb). Then another minor third up from Gb (Bbb - which is enharmonically the same as A). Then up another minor 3rd (C an octave higher than the starting note). Once you can do this, reverse the process (Start on C and sing a minor 3rd down to A, then another minor 3rd down and then another, etc).
Play and sing a starting note (e.g., C) and then think of it as the first degree of the chromatic scale - sing "one". Now sing the flattened second degree of the scale - sing "flat two". This note is a minor 2nd up from your C note (a Dbb note). Then sing the C again ("one"). Then sing the second degree of the scale (a D note - sing "two"). Next, sing your C Note again ("one"). Continue in this manner all the way up the chromatic scale until you reach C an octave above. The entire sequence goes: 1, bb2, 1, 2, 1, bb3, 1, 3, 1, 4, 1, bb5, 1, 5, 1, bb6, 1, 6, 1, bb7, 1, 7, 1, 8, 1. As with the previous exercises, once you can do this accurately (check your pitches on your instrument), reverse the process and sing downwards from the top of the scale, working your way down the chromatic scale again. The downward sequence goes 1 (8), 7, 1, bb7, 1, 6, 1, bb6, 1, 5, 1, bb 5, 1, 4, 1, 3, 1, bb3, 1, 2, 1, bb2, 1, 1, 1 (8).
As well as hearing intervals melodically (one note at a time), it is important to be able to hear them harmonically (two notes played together). A good way to develop this is to have a friend play random harmonic intervals on either guitar or keyboard while you identify them. Keep your back to your friend while you do this, so that you cannot identify the intervals by sight.

Don’t get frustrated if you can’t hear intervals accurately at first. Most people have trouble with this. If you work at it regularly for several months, you will see a dramatic improvement in your musical hearing, and you will be able to improvise much more freely, as well as being able to transcribe from recordings more easily.

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1- INTRODUCTION 2- Triads 3- Inversions of Four Note Chords 4- C Major Scale Up to the 13th Degree 5- The Major Scale 6- 12 Bar Blues 7- Electronic Tuner 8- Open Chords 9- Open Chords 10- Omitting Notes From Chords 11- Sharps and Flats 12- Turnaround Progressions 13- What is a Chord 14- Chord Progressions 15- Movable Chords 16- Open Chords 17- The Chromatic Scale 18- Chord Substitution 19- Chord Diagrams 20- Rhythm Patterns 21- Open Chords 22- Movable Chords 23- More about Major Scales 24- Turnaround Chord Substitution 25- Chord Symbols and Alternatives 26- Rhythm Notation 27- Movable Chords 28- Open Chords 29- The F Major Scale 30- Substitution and Context 31- How to Read Sheet Music 32- Arpeggios 33- Open Chords 34- Movable Chords 35- Keys and Key Signatures 36- Triad over Root Substitutions 37- Easy Chord Table 38- Bar Chords 39- Movable Chords 40- Open Chords 41- The Key Cycle 42- Using 7th Chords to Create 9ths 43- How to Read Music 44- Root 6 Bar Chords 45- Open Chords 46- Movable Chords 47- Major Scales in all Keys 48- Substitutions in Minor Keys 49- Music Notation 50- Notes on the Sixth String 51- Movable Chords 52- Open Chords 53- Intervals 54- Secondary Dominants 55- Rhythm Symbols 56- Percussive Strumming 57- Seventh Chord Types 58- Movable Chords 59- Interval Distances 60- Tritone Substitution 61- Rhythm Notation 62- Root 5 Bar Chords 63- Open Chords 64- Open Chords 65- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 66- The II V I Progression 67- Time Signatures 68- Notes on the Fifth String 69- Movable Chords 70- Movable Chords 71- Identifying Intervals by Ear 72- I Becomes II 73- Chord Construction 74- Learning the Whole Fretboard 75- Open Chords 76- Open Chords 77- Power Chords 78- Memorizing Chord Progressions 79- Chord Formula Chart 80- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 81- Movable Chords 82- Movable Chords 83- Chords Using 4ths 84- Modulation 85- Transposing 86- Notes in More Than One Place 87- Open Chords 88- Open Chords 89- Chord Construction Using 90- V Becomes II 91- How to Transpose 92- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 93- Movable Chords 94- Movable Chords 95- Scale Tone Chords 96- Learning Songs 97- The Capo 98- Movable Chord Shapes in Five Forms 99- Open Chords 100- Open Chords 101- Major Key Triad Pattern 102- Listening 103- Three Note Chord Voicings 104- Movable Chords 105- Movable Chords 106- Scale Tone Chords Along The Strings 107- Altered Chords Chart 108- Inversions 109- Open Chords 110- Open Chords 111- Primary Chords 112- Tuning Your Guitar 113- Using Inversions 114- Movable Chords 115- Movable Chords 116- Harmonizing Melodies 117- Movable Inversions 118- Open Chords 119- Open Chords 120- Common Progressions 121- Open Voicings 122- Four Chords in One 123- Movable Chords 124- Scale Tone 7th Chords 125- Four Note Voicings 126- Open Chords 127- Open Chords 128- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 129- Movable Chords (Four Note Voicings) 130- Movable Chords 131- Movable Chords 132- Extended Scale Tone Chords 133- Open Chords 134- Open Chords 135- Open Chords 136- Voice Leading 137- Bar Chords 138- Movable Chords 139- Movable Chords 140- Guide Tones 141- Movable Minor Chords 142- Open Chords 143- Open Chords 144- Using Guide Tones 145- Movable Inversions 146- Movable Chords 147- Movable Chords 148- Other Guide Tones 149- Movable Minor Chords (4 Note Voicings) 150- Extended Sharp Eleven Chords 151- Minor Keys and Scales 152- Open Chords 153- Open Chords 154- The Natural Minor Scale 155- Bar Chords 156- Movable Chords 157- The Harmonic Minor Scale 158- Movable Chords 159- Open Chords 160- The Melodic Minor Scale 161- Open Chords 162- Movable Chords 163- Minor Key Scale Tone Triads 164- Movable Chords 165- Open Chords 166- Minor Key Chord Progressions 167- Open Chords 168- Movable Chords 169- Scale Tone 7ths in Minor Keys 170- Three Chords in One 171- Altered Thirteenth Chords 172- Higher Extensions in Minor Keys 173- Movable Chords 174- Creating Your Own Chords 175- Relative Keys 176- Diminished Triad Shapes 177- Moving Chords Over One Symbol 178- Slash Chords 179- Pedal Tones 180- Moving Bass Lines Under a Chord 181- Chords with More Than One Name 182- Modes 183- Harmonizing Modes 184- Modes in Minor Keys

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Identifying Intervals by Ear