Identifying Intervals by Ear

Lesson 2/87 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Jazz Guitar

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 given 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 Db 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, b2, 1, 2, 1, b3, 1, 3, 1, 4, 1, b5, 1, 5, 1, b6, 1, 6, 1, b7, 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, b7, 1, 6, 1, b6, 1, 5, 1, b5, 1, 4, 1, 3, 1, b3, 1, 2, 1, b2, 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 the instrument while you do this, so that you cannot identify the intervals by sight.

It is important to work at these things regularly until they become easy. Don’t get frustrated if you can’t hear intervals accurately at first. Most people have trouble with this. If you work at it for several months, you will see a dramatic improvement in your musical hearing, and will be able to improvise much more freely as well as being able to work out parts off recordings more easily.

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Class Sessions

1- Keys and Key Signatures 2- More about Eighth Notes 3- Identifying Intervals by Ear 4- Intervals 5- Developing Rhythmic Control 6- Using Ties 7- Transposing 8- Using the Whole Fretboard, Playing in all Keys 9- Scale Degrees 10- The Triplet 11- Scale Tone 7th Chords 12- LESSON NINE 13- Using the Scale Forms 14- Learning all the Notes 15- INTRODUCTION 16- More about Major Scales 17- The II V I Progression 18- Arpeggios and Chord Progressions 19- Seventh Chords 20- Scale Tone Chords 21- Modes over Chord Changes 22- Fingerings for Modes 23- Basic Jazz Sounds and Techniques 24- The Major Scale 25- Understanding Chords 26- Modes 27- Understanding Rhythms 28- Understanding Chord Progressions, Arpeggios and Modes 29- Eighth Notes 30- The Chromatic Scale 31- Arpeggios 32- Major Scales in all Keys 33- Intervals in Sequences 34- Interval Qualities 35- Playing What You Hear 36- Improvising with Arpeggios 37- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 38- Major Key Triad Pattern 39- Tones and Semitones 40- Learning to Play Seventh Chords 41- Improvising with Set Rhythms 42- The Importance of Timing and Attitude 43- Using Set Rhythms 44- Syncopation 45- Mode Formulas 46- Other Common Progressions 47- Swing Rhythms 48- Creating Your Own Melodies 49- Ties Across a Bar Line 50- Combining Modes and Arpeggios 51- Visualizing Scale Degrees 52- Notes on the Guitar Fretboard 53- Tuning Your Guitar 54- Interval Distances 55- Chord Construction - Triads 56- Sequences 57- Jam Along Progressions 58- Scale Tone Chords in all Keys 59- Fretboard Diagrams 60- Major Sevenths 61- Counting Swing Eighth Notes 62- Enharmonic Notes 63- First and Second Endings 64- 5 Forms of Movable Fingerings 65- Major Scale Pattern 66- Notes in More than one Place 67- Dominant Sevenths 68- Listening 69- The G Major Scale 70- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 71- Left Hand Fingering 72- Memorizing the Notes of the Scale 73- Position Playing 74- The Key Cycle 75- Common Progressions 76- The F Major Scale 77- Higher and Lower Versions of Notes 78- Minor Sevenths 79- Chord Symbols 80- Tablature 81- More titles by LearnToPlayMusic.com 82- Practicing Scales and Arpeggios 83- Other Major Scales 84- Technique 85- Minor 7 Flat Five and Diminished 86- Approach to Practice 87- Practice Position

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Identifying Intervals by Ear