Identifying Intervals by Ear

Lesson 6/162 | Study Time: 5 Min

Course: Complete Lead 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. E.g. 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 (B~ – 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,b 5, 1, 4, 1, 3, 1, b3, 1, 2, 1, b2, 1 (8), 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 CDs more easily.

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Class Sessions

1- INTRODUCTION 2- The Minor Pentatonic Scale 3- Understanding Rhythms 4- Slurs 5- Identifying Eighth Note Rhythms 6- The Slide 7- Bending Notes 8- The Triplet 9- Understanding Triplet Rhythms 10- Sixteenth Notes 11- Identifying 16th Note Rhythms 12- Slight Bends 13- Different Scale Fingerings 14- Learning the Whole Fretboard 15- Five Forms of the Pentatonic Scale 16- Moving Between Forms 17- The Major Scale 18- Scale Degrees 19- Using The Scale Forms 20- More About Scale Degrees 21- The Major Pentatonic Scale 22- Relative Major and Minor Pentatonics 23- The Blues Scale 24- Twelve Eight Time 25- More About Major Scales 26- Transposing 27- Minor Keys and Scales 28- Moveable Minor Scales 29- Harmonic Minor Scale Fingerings 30- Right Hand Tapping 31- Harmonics 32- Understanding all the Notes 33- Intervals 34- Understanding Chords 35- Scale Tone Chords 36- Seventh Chords 37- Combining Scales and Arpeggios 38- Modes 39- Scale Tone 7th Chords 40- Mode Formulas 41- Modes Over Chord Changes 42- Using the Compact Discs 43- Alternate Picking 44- Stopping Unwanted Notes 45- Licks 46- Syncopation 47- Pattern 1 Extension 48- Licks Using Bends 49- Sequences 50- Set Rhythms Using Triplet Figures 51- Picking Technique 52- Sixteenth Note Triplets 53- Vibrato 54- Higher and Lower Octaves 55- Note on the Guitar Fretboard 56- Sliding Pattern 2 57- Memorizing the Notes of the Scale 58- Visualizing Scale Degrees 59- Analyzing What You Play 60- Sliding Major Pentatonic Fingerings 61- Enharmonic Notes 62- Digging Into The Blues 63- The F Major Scale 64- The Natural Minor Scale 65- 5 Forms of the Natural Minor 66- 5 Forms of the Harmonic Minor 67- Adding Left Hand Slurs 68- Pick Harmonics 69- Tones and Semitones 70- Interval Qualities 71- Arpeggios 72- Major Key Triad Pattern 73- Learning Seventh Chord Types 74- Thirty Second Notes 75- Modes and Scale Tone Chords 76- Scale Tone 7th Pattern 77- Fingerings For Modes 78- The <span class="symbolB">2 5 1</span> Progression 79- Electronic Tuner 80- Riffs 81- The Half Bar Rolling Technique 82- Ties 83- The Quick Slide 84- The Release Bend 85- Swing Rhythms 86- Quarter Note Triplets 87- Licks Using 16th Notes 88- Vibrato With Bent Notes 89- Moving Between Forms 90- Notes in More Than One Place 91- The Symbols 8va and Loco 92- Five Forms of the Major Scale 93- Keys and Key Signatures 94- The Harmonic Minor Scale 95- Relative Major and Minor Fingerings 96- Touch Harmonics 97- Sharps 98- Interval Distances 99- Playing Arpeggios 100- Scale Tone Triads in all Keys 101- Major Seventh Arpeggios 102- Modal Tonalities 103- Other Common Progressions 104- Tuning Your Guitar 105- Playing in Different Keys 106- Set Rhythms 107- Licks Using the Slide 108- Licks Using Release Bends 109- The Shuffle Rhythm 110- Common 16th Note Rhythms 111- The Trail off 112- Position Playing 113- The Key Cycle 114- The Melodic Minor Scale 115- Listening 116- The Chromatic Scale 117- Finding Intervals on the Fretboard 118- Chord Construction – Triads 119- Common Progressions 120- Dominant Seventh Arpeggios 121- Dorian Mode Fingerings 122- Combining Modes and Arpeggios 123- Electric Guitars 124- Notes on the Sixth String 125- Rolling the 3rd Finger 126- The Quick Bend 127- The Whip 128- Higher and Lower Octaves of Notes 129- Major Scales in all Keys 130- Relative Keys 131- Transcribing 132- Flats 133- Identifying Intervals by Ear 134- Augmented and Diminished Chords 135- Minor Seventh Arpeggios 136- Phrygian Mode 137- Jam Along Progressions 138- Amplifiers 139- The Importance of Timing and Attitude 140- 12 Bar Blues 141- The Trill 142- Using Chromatic Notes 143- Arpeggios and Chord Progressions 144- Practicing Scales and Arpeggios 145- Lydian Mode 146- String 147- Improvising With Arpeggios 148- Minor 7 Flat Five and Diminished 7ths 149- Accents 150- Understanding the Control Knobs 151- Mixolydian Mode 152- Technique 153- Aeolian Mode = Natural Minor Scale 154- How to Read Music 155- Locrian Mode 156- Tablature 157- Modes in Minor Keys 158- Music Notation 159- Learning The Notes on The Staff 160- Bar Lines 161- Time Signatures 162- Chord Symbols

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Identifying Intervals by Ear