Improve Your Music & Singing Chops FAST! (Part 4)

CHAPTER 4: Know Your Intervals

Inter…what?

HOW TO PRACTICE THIS CHAPTER: This chapter will have a WEE BIT more of very simple (and additionally very simplified) music theory for you. But you really SHOULD know this stuff if you want to progress as a singer VERY QUICKLY. Read this through in detail. Then practice all the intervals as often as you can. Also, make sure you memorize all the intervals using our QUICK-MEMORIZING method! So, let’s get on with it:

Remember in the previous chapter we talked about chords and scales? Remember the C-Major chord, for example? It’s C-E-G. The distance between C and E is an interval, and the distance between E and G is another interval.

Intervals are measured in semitones (or “half-steps”). So, let’s count the number of steps between C and E first: C – C# – D – D# – E

We have 12 half-steps in total. So, counting the first note, C, there are 5 half-steps (semitones) until you reach E. So the interval is a 5-semi-tone one, and it’s also known as a “major third”.

Why “third?” Because if you count the “main” notes of the C Major scale… C – D – E- F- G- A- B – (C)

… you can see that E is the THIRD note. So, from C to E, we have a “third”. If the interval between the first and second note in a chord is 5 semitones, we call it a “major third”, but if it’s 4 semitones, we call it a “minor third”. So:

• Major: C – E – G
• Minor: C – D# – G (you can also write this as C – Eb – G “e-flat” as opposed to “d-sharp”)

Next, the interval between the next two notes – from E to G in a major scale or from D# to G in a minor scale has… how many semitones? Let’s have a look:

• E – F – F# – G (4 semitones in a major scale)
• D# – E – F – F# – G (5 semitones in a minor scale)

So now you can see that to make a C major (or ANY other major) chord, the distance between the first two tones of the three-tone chord (also known as a “triad”) must be the interval known as “major third” and the distance between the second and third tone in the chord must be a “minor third”. But if you want a minor chord instead – it’s the other way around: a minor third between the first two tones and a major third between the second and third.

Learn the sound of a major scale. And – also learn the sound of a minor scale.

We’ve gone through this already: the major one sounds “happy” and the minor one sounds “sad”. Remember? Click to listen

But there’s more to intervals than just this. The distance between ANY two notes – whether they are played together or one after the other – has an “interval name” which you SHOULD be familiar with. As a musician and a singer, knowing your intervals is KEY. You already “feel” them and can sing any song but if you don’t know your intervals, you’re doing this as if blindfolded. To illustrate this, let’s look at a typical situation in, say, a studio or during a rehearsal:

You’re singing a song which goes like “I have nothing…” and it has a certain melody. Now, one of your band members, or your songwriter or your producer asks you something like “can you sing the word ‘have’ a third higher?” Would you know what to do?

Or what if someone asked you “can you do a fifth harmony on ‘nothing’?” Or: “just sing this word a minor second lower”. Would you know what to do without having to be shown, ever so tediously?

So – chances are that now you see that you NEED to learn this interval thing. You need to be able to HEAR what any interval is – and you need to be able to SING any interval. It’s not hard, but it does take a little getting used to. One simple – but very tedious way to recognize your intervals is to simply learn the chromatic scale (that’s the one where each semitone is played, remember?) and then just count your way up (or down) to the interval you’re looking for. But this can be TOO tedious and also may take too long in a high-pressure situation. So another – better – way, is to learn the sound of EACH interval (along with its technical name) – by associating it with a popular song that you know really well.

Let’s name and learn to memorize ALL the intervals!

UNISON

The most basic “interval” is not “really” an interval (it IS, but you might find it strange), and it’s in case of THE SAME note repeated twice.

• For example a C followed by another C. This kind of interval is called a “unison”.
  • In the song “Happy Birthday”, the first two notes “hap” – “py” are both the same, so the interval between “hap” and “py” is a unison. Click to listen
  • Another example might be “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Each syllable of “twinkle” (“twink” + “le“) is the same, so it is… a UNISON! Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: _______ (think of a song you know which uses this interval, and write it down)

MINOR SECOND

The smallest interval which is NOT a unison, is called a “minor second”.

• For instance, from C and C# (or any other two notes separated by a single half-step).
• Ascending
  • A song which might help you remember is could be The Jaws Theme. This little progression, repeated menacingly over and over also happens to be the shortest copyrighted musical phrase ever (by John Williams, who wrote the Jaws theme). Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • In the Beatles song Something, the line “something in the way she moves”, when it goes from “she” to “moves” – you’ve got a minor second going down (descending). Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MAJOR SECOND

The next interval is a “major second”

• For example from C to D.
• Ascending
  • A good song to help you remember it might be “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Listen to “Ru” followed by “dolph” and you’ll be happy to learn that “Ru” is separated from “dolph” by a MAJOR SECOND. Click to listen
  • Or how about Happy Birthday To You? “Hap” + “py” + “birth” + “day”, where the “py” to “birth” is the interval we’re looking at. Click to listen
  • Another song you might know is “Yankee Doodle”, where “Yan” + “kee” + “doo” + “dle” contain the unison between “Yan” and “kee”, and a MAJOR SECOND between “kee” and “doo”. Click to listen
  • Can you work out the interval between “doo” and “dle”?
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • The famous Beatles song Yesterday is a perfect example of a major second going down: “Yes” + “terday”. Click to listen
  • Or how about the Christmas carol The First Noel, where the opening “The” is “the” +”eh”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MINOR THIRD

Next, we have a “minor third”.

• For example C to D#.
• Ascending
  • A song which illustrates this could be Brahms’ Lullaby: “Go to” + “sleep”. Click to listen
  • Or the Beatles Hello Goodbye when they sing “You say yes”, the interval between “you” and “say” is the minor third. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • A classic song from the 60’s Girl From Ipanema, the words “tall” + “and”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MAJOR THIRD

Most people when they first learn how to sing in harmony, tend to start with the “major third”.

• For example C to E.
• Ascending
  • A song to help you remember this interval might be “When The Saints Go Marching In”. “Oh” and “when” are an example of a MAJOR THIRD. Click to listen
  • Or The Beatles’ Can’t Buy Me Love, where “can’t” + “buy” is the major third. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • How about George Gershwin’s Summertime! The interval between “Sum” and “mer” is the major third. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

PERFECT FOURTH

Next we’ve got what is known as a “perfect fourth”.

• For example from C to F.
• Ascending
  • A great example of a song that uses this interval is “Here Comes The Bride”. The interval between “Here” and “comes” is a FOURTH (or a PERFECT fourth). Click to listen
  • Another popular song which starts with this interval is “We Wish You A Merry Christmas”. “We” is separated from “wish” by a PERFECT FOURTH. Click to listen
  • Or Elvis Presley’s Love Me Tender, where “love” and “me” are separated by the interval we seek. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • The Beatles’ Michele, when we get to “my” + ”belle”. Click to listen
  • Or Born Free, where “born” + “free” are the perfect fourth going down. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

TRITONE

The next interval is known under a few different names (because it is so popular). Some people call it a “minor fifth” or a “tritone” or a “diminished fifth” or “an augmented fourth”.

• For example from C to Gb.
• Ascending
  • An example of a song could be the Simpson’s Theme: “The” + “Simp” + “sons” – where the interval between “The” and “Simp” is the tritone – or the minor fifth. Click to listen
  • Or Maria from West Side Story: “ma” + “ri”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • How about “My Favourite Things” from The Sound Of Music. In the words “favo” + rite” + “things”, the tritone is between “rite” and “things”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

PERFECT FIFTH

And now for the “dominant” sound of a “perfect fifth”.

• For example C to G.
• Ascending
  • A popular song which will help you remember the fifth is “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” (again). The first “twinkle” is a PERFECT FIFTH away from the next “twinkle”. Click to listen
  • Or the Beatles’ Blackbird. In the words “Balckbird singing in the dead of night”, listen to “dead” `”of”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • How about the Flintstones Theme: “Meet the Flintstones” – listen to “flint” + “stones”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MINOR SIXTH

And then there’s the “minor sixth”.

• For example C to G#.
• Ascending
  • A popular song which could illustrate this is The Entertainer by Scott Joplin. Click to listen
  • Or how about the Beatles’ Because. “Be” + “cause”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • How about Love Story. “Where do I begin” – listen for “where” + “do”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MAJOR SIXTH

Next, we have the “major sixth”.

• For example from C to A.
• Ascending
  • You might remember this interval more easily if you know the song “Jingle Bells” – but not the beginning but rather the part “dashing through the snow”. The word “dashing” is broken into “da” and “shing” and the distance between these two is the interval of a MAJOR SIXTH. Click to listen
  • Another song you might know to help you remember this is “My Bonnie Lies Over The Ocean”, where you can hear the major sixth between “My” and “Bo…”. Click to listen
  • Another example could be My Way. Listen for the word “And” + “now”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • Have a look at Michael Jackson’s Man in the Mirror. Check the words “I’m” + “star” + “ting”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MINOR SEVENTH

And then there’s the “minor seventh”.

• For instance, from C to Bb (b-flat or A#).
• Ascending
  • Here’s a song that will illustrate this is Somewhere from the musical West Side Story, the line “there’s a place for us” – the distance from “there’s” to “a” is a minor seventh. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • I’ll think of something soon…! 🙂
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

MAJOR SEVENTH

And now for sweet sound of the “major seventh”.

• For example from C to B.
• Ascending
  • There’s a very famous part in The Superman Theme which uses this interval. Can you remember it? Click to listen
  • Or how about Don’t Know Why. Listen for “I” + “wait” + “ed”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • I’ll think of something…. soon!
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

OCTAVE

And finally – the power of the “octave”.

• Ascending
  • For example from C to the next C. You can easily remember this if you know “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”. The distance between “some” and “where” is the OCTAVE. Click to listen
  • And of course also I’m Singing In The Rain. Check out “I’m” + “sing” + “ing”. Click to listen
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________
• Descending
  • Hmm… gotta think of one soon…!
  • YOUR EXAMPLE: ___________________

Here’s a cute little song that might help you memorize intervals: Click to listen Also make sure to watch this video: Click to listen