Interval recognition

Interval recognition, the ability to name and reproduce musical intervals, is an important part of ear training, music transcription, musical intonation and sight-reading.

Reference songs

Some music teachers teach their students relative pitch by having them associate each possible interval with the first interval of a popular song.^[1] Such songs are known as "reference songs".^[2] However, others have shown that such familiar-melody associations are quite limited in scope, applicable only to the specific scale-degrees found in each melody.^[3]

Here are some examples for each interval:

0/unison

"America the Beautiful" (on "Oh beautiful")'^[4]
"God Save the King"/"My Country, 'Tis of Thee"
"Hava Nagila"^[5]
"Jingle Bells"^[6]
"La Marseillaise"^[7]
"One Note Samba"^[8]
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (on "twin-kle")

Steps/interval

Ascending

Descending

1/minor second

Theme of the One Ring from The Lord of the Rings^{[citation needed]}
Theme from Jaws^[9]^[10]
"Nice Work If You Can Get It"^[9]
"Isn't She Lovely"^[9]^[10]
Ode to Joy (2nd and 3rd notes)^[10]

C↑C♯

C↓B

2/major second

C↑D

C↓B♭

3/minor third

"A Cruel Angel's Thesis" (theme from Neon Genesis Evangelion)
"Axel F" (the Beverly Hills Cop theme song)^[9]
"Greensleeves"^[9]^[18]
"Smoke on the Water"^[9]
"O Canada"^[9]^[19]
"The Impossible Dream"^[9]
"So Long, Farewell"^[10]
"Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone"^[9]
"Iron Man" by Black Sabbath^[10]
"Bad"^[9]^[10]
"Brahms's Lullaby"^[9]^[20]
"Hallelujah"

C↑E♭

"Hey Jude"^[9]^[10]
"The Star-Spangled Banner"^[9]^[10]^[21]
"Frosty the Snowman"^[9]
"This Old Man"^[9]^[22]
"Can We Fix It?" from Bob the Builder

C↓A

4/major third

"When the Saints Go Marching In"^[9]
"Spring" from Vivaldi's "Four Seasons"^[9]^[23]
"Kumbaya"^[9]
"And did those feet in ancient time"
"O mio babbino caro"

C↑E

"Summertime"^[9]
"Swing Low, Sweet Chariot"^[9]^[24]
"Goodnight, Ladies"^[9]
Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 (first movement)^[9]^[25]

C↓A♭

5/perfect fourth

C↑F

C↓G

6/tritone

"Maria" from West Side Story^[9]
"The Simpsons Theme"^[9]

C↑F♯

C↓F♯

7/perfect fifth

Also sprach Zarathustra^[9]
"Can't Help Falling in Love" (on Wise Men)^[9]
"My Favorite Things"^[9]
"Scarborough Fair"^[9]
Theme from Star Wars^[9]
"Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" (from 1st to 2nd "twinkle")^[9]
"Yeah!"^[9]^[10]

C↑G

Back to the Future Theme^[9]
"Don't You (Forget About Me)" chorus^[26]
The Flintstones Theme^[9]
"Seven Steps to Heaven"^[9]
"What Do You Do With A Drunken Sailor?"^[9]

C↓F

8/minor sixth

"Go Down Moses" on "When Is[-rael]"
Theme of 1492: Conquest of Paradise^[9]
"The Entertainer" (big interval after pick-up)^[9]
"Close Every Door"^[9]^[10]
"Nothing Compares 2 U"^[9]^[10]

C↑A♭

"You're Everything" from Light as a Feather^[9]
"Where Do I Begin?" from the film Love Story^[9]

C↓E

9/major sixth

"For He's a Jolly Good Fellow"^[9]^[10]
"It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"^[9]
"Jingle Bells" (on "dash-ing through the snow")^[9]
"Leia's Theme" (from Star Wars)^[9]
"Libiamo ne' lieti calici", brindisi from Verdi's 1853 opera La traviata^[27]^[28]
"My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean"^[9]
"My Way"^[9]
NBC chimes^[9]

C↑A

"Man in the Mirror" (chorus)^[9]^[10]
"The Music of the Night"^[9]
"Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen"^[9]
"Over There"^[9]
"Sweet Caroline"^[29]

C↓E♭

10/minor seventh

C↑B♭

C↓D

11/major seventh

"Take On Me"^[9]
Theme from Fantasy Island^[9]

C↑B

"I Love You"^[9]
“Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (Nat King Cole)”
"Maybe"

C↓C♯

12/octave

"Over the Rainbow"^[9]
"Blue Bossa"^[9]
"The Christmas Song"^[9]
"Starman"
"Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!"^[9]
"When You Wish Upon a Star"

C↑C

"Willow Weep for Me"^[9]

C↓C

In addition, there are various solmization systems (including solfeggio, sargam, and numerical sight-singing) that assign specific syllables to different notes of the scale. Among other things, this makes it easier to hear how intervals sound in different contexts, such as starting on different notes of the same scale.

References

^ Mayfield, Connie E. (2012). Theory Essentials, Volume I: An Integrated Approach to Harmony, Ear Training, and Keyboard Skills (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9781133713807.
^ Sutton, Christopher. "The Ultimate Guide to Interval Ear Training". Easy Ear Training. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
^ Rogers, Michael (1983): "Beyond Intervals: The Teaching of Tonal Hearing", Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, (6):18-34
^ Samuel A. Ward. "America the Beautiful". Cantorion.
^ Traditional. "Hava Nagila". The Jews of Cuba.
^ James Lord Pierpont. "Jingle Bells". Cantorion.
^ Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. "La Marseillaise" (PDF). mfiles.
^ Antônio Carlos Jobim. "One Note Samba". MuseScore.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh ^bi ^bj ^bk ^bl ^bm ^bn ^bo ^bp ^bq ^br ^bs ^bt ^bu ^bv ^bw ^bx ^by ^bz ^ca ^cb ^cc ^cd ^ce ^cf ^cg "Songs to learn musical intervals". EarMaster. EarMaster ApS. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t "Use Songs You Know to Learn Your Musical Intervals". Musical scales and chords. Retrieved 14 November 2016.
^ Lowell Mason. "Joy to the World". IMSLP.
^ Ludwig van Beethoven. "Für Elise". IMSLP.
^ Traditional. "Frère Jacques". traditional-songs.com.
^ Franz Xaver Gruber. "Silent Night". Wikifonia. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
^ Rick Astley. "Never Gonna Give You Up". YouTube.
^ John W. Ivimey. Complete Version of ye Three Blind Mice. Project Gutenberg.
^ "The First Nowell". The Hymns and Carols of Christmas.
^ "Greensleeves". TradTunes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
^ "National Anthem: O Canada". Government of Canada. 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
^ 5 Lieder, Op. 49 (Brahms); 4. Wiegenlied (Berceuse): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
^ The Star-Spangled Banner: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
^ "Free Sheet Music: 'This Old Man' (Primer Level)" (PDF). Piano Pronto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-08-03.
^ Violin Concerto in E major, RV 269 (Vivaldi): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
^ Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
^ Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 (Beethoven): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project
^ "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Hal Leonard. Retrieved 10 November 2023 – via noteflight.com.
^ "Awesome Music / Giuseppe Verdi". tvtropes.org. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
^ Giuseppe Verdi; Francesco Maria Piave (1899). "3. Libiamo ne' lieti calici". La traviata. Translated by Natalie MacFarren. piano reduction by Berthold Tours. New York: G. Schirmer. p. 18.
^ Diamond, Neil (1969). "Sweet Caroline Sheet Music" (PDF). muhlsdk12.org. Retrieved 31 March 2023.

External links

Media related to Audio files of musical intervals at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Mayfield, Connie E. (2012). Theory Essentials, Volume I: An Integrated Approach to Harmony, Ear Training, and Keyboard Skills (2nd ed.). New York: Schirmer. pp. 50–51. ISBN 9781133713807.

[2] Sutton, Christopher. "The Ultimate Guide to Interval Ear Training". Easy Ear Training. Retrieved 24 June 2016.

[3] Rogers, Michael (1983): "Beyond Intervals: The Teaching of Tonal Hearing", Journal of Music Theory Pedagogy, (6):18-34

[4] Samuel A. Ward. "America the Beautiful". Cantorion.

[5] Traditional. "Hava Nagila". The Jews of Cuba.

[6] James Lord Pierpont. "Jingle Bells". Cantorion.

[7] Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. "La Marseillaise" (PDF). mfiles.

[8] Antônio Carlos Jobim. "One Note Samba". MuseScore.

[EarMaster-9] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad ^ae ^af ^ag ^ah ^ai ^aj ^ak ^al ^am ^an ^ao ^ap ^aq ^ar ^as ^at ^au ^av ^aw ^ax ^ay ^az ^ba ^bb ^bc ^bd ^be ^bf ^bg ^bh ^bi ^bj ^bk ^bl ^bm ^bn ^bo ^bp ^bq ^br ^bs ^bt ^bu ^bv ^bw ^bx ^by ^bz ^ca ^cb ^cc ^cd ^ce ^cf ^cg "Songs to learn musical intervals". EarMaster. EarMaster ApS. Retrieved 14 November 2016.

[scales-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t "Use Songs You Know to Learn Your Musical Intervals". Musical scales and chords. Retrieved 14 November 2016.

[11] Lowell Mason. "Joy to the World". IMSLP.

[12] Ludwig van Beethoven. "Für Elise". IMSLP.

[13] Traditional. "Frère Jacques". traditional-songs.com.

[14] Franz Xaver Gruber. "Silent Night". Wikifonia. Archived from the original on 2013-06-02. Retrieved 2014-08-03.

[15] Rick Astley. "Never Gonna Give You Up". YouTube.

[16] John W. Ivimey. Complete Version of ye Three Blind Mice. Project Gutenberg.

[17] "The First Nowell". The Hymns and Carols of Christmas.

[18] "Greensleeves". TradTunes.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-14. Retrieved 2014-08-03.

[19] "National Anthem: O Canada". Government of Canada. 6 October 2015. Archived from the original on 12 January 2016. Retrieved 3 August 2014.

[20] 5 Lieder, Op. 49 (Brahms); 4. Wiegenlied (Berceuse): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

[21] The Star-Spangled Banner: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

[22] "Free Sheet Music: 'This Old Man' (Primer Level)" (PDF). Piano Pronto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2014-08-03.

[23] Violin Concerto in E major, RV 269 (Vivaldi): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

[24] Swing Low, Sweet Chariot: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

[25] Symphony No. 5, Op. 67 (Beethoven): Scores at the International Music Score Library Project

[26] "Don't You (Forget About Me)". Hal Leonard. Retrieved 10 November 2023 – via noteflight.com.

[27] "Awesome Music / Giuseppe Verdi". tvtropes.org. Retrieved 2023-10-30.

[28] Giuseppe Verdi; Francesco Maria Piave (1899). "3. Libiamo ne' lieti calici". La traviata. Translated by Natalie MacFarren. piano reduction by Berthold Tours. New York: G. Schirmer. p. 18.

[29] Diamond, Neil (1969). "Sweet Caroline Sheet Music" (PDF). muhlsdk12.org. Retrieved 31 March 2023.

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