Welcome to this lesson intervals part 1.
Estimated time to learn: 3 to 6 days
Note: this Secret Lesson is taken straight out of the Play By Ear Mastery course
Every song can be broken down into a series of intervals. Being able to recognize intervals instantly is huge! It’ll allow you to find the next note every time, even if it’s a large leap.
Now the best way to learn is to use what I call “Reference Songs”. Basically, taking songs you already know, and use them to easily identify intervals.
In part 1, we’re going to talk about the first 4 intervals.
Intervals: Part 1
Key Points
1. Use songs you already know to figure out intervals. For example, use Jaws for a Minor 2nd, Happy Birthday for a Major 2nd, Greensleeves for a Minor 3rd, and Oh When The Saints for a Major 3rd.
2. When you’re trying to figure out an interval in a song, isolate that interval by singing it. Then see if it matches up with one of your reference songs.
3. Eventually, after practicing enough, you’ll be able to “feel” intervals, and you’ll no longer need to use Reference Songs as “training wheels”.
Intervals Exercise 1: Interval Acclimation
Here’s the drill. Listen to the notes, and sing them back. Go through all the examples. Then go through all the examples again, but this time first sing the notes, then play them back on your piano.
This is how we’re going to start developing a foundation of notes in your brain. You’ll start to get the feel of each interval and how to transfer it from sound in the air, to a pitch in your mind, and finally to the piano.
If you still don’t understand, click the “Watch the Video Explanation” below:
- Minor 2nd drill: C Df C Df C
2. Major 2nd drill: C D C D C
3. Minor 3rd drill: C Ef C Ef C
4. Major 3rd drill: C E C E C
Intervals Exercise 2: Rapid Fire
This is easily the fastest way to test yourself on these intervals. It allows you to rapid fire go through each one.
Quiz on the 1st 4 Intervals
See how well you REALLY know these intervals. Take the interactive quiz below. Shoot for at least 80%. Ideally, you’d want to get 100%, but get at least 80% before you move on to the next lesson. You can always come back to it later and go for that 100%!
Click Here to Take The Quiz and test your ear!
Where to Go From Here
Congrats on learning the 1st 4 intervals! This probably took you between 3 and 6 days to complete and get at least an 80% on the quiz. If you learned it faster, awesome, it probably comes naturally to you.
If you want more lessons like this, and the Intervals Lessons part 2 and 3 (that cover the remaining intervals) you can find them in my Play By Ear Mastery course. It’ll teach you the rest of the intervals in the same format, as well as keep expanding your range from 3 notes to 5, to 7, ext.
Oh, and if you go through a link in this secret lesson, you get 50% off ;-).
If you’re ready to take the program and learn to play by ear once and for all, click here to get the Play By Ear Mastery program.
-Zach
I love concrete things I can drill like the Ear training with actual recordings. Well explained and illustrated via video.
Annette K. – Ear Training Mastery Member