Interval identification - how do you do it ?

sven · Post by **sven** » 10 Oct 2005, 08:03

I'm a beginner at this and very excited because my 'ear' sucks !
I only have one question :

When i'm doing the interval identification ex. there's 2 ways to go:

1/I can listen to the intervals by right-clicking the intervalbuttons below, to compare and then choose the answer. When I do that I can name every one of them(because of the comparison)

2/When I try to do it without clicking the buttons to compare the question to the possible answers, and try to find them in my head, i'm terrible at it...

Now, is it the first or second method I need to use ? Is it ok to compare before choosing ?

Thanks !

Waigin · Post by **Waigin** » 10 Oct 2005, 12:15

Both are good but if you do it in your head, you need to calculate the intervale to know which one is. You need some basic in music to be able to do it.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 13 Oct 2005, 17:56

That is no way of identifying an interval, is just a trick. Identifying an interval means that you hear it, and you wich one is without any help, just by how it sounds.

The best way to learn an interval, is learn to sing it. Learn to sing a perfect fifth up and down until you make no mistakes, then listen to perfect fifths harmonic and try to sing the two notes separetly. Practice again until you make no mistakes.

When you are done with the perfect fifth, go for the perfect fourth.

Then practice singing the two intervals mixed. When you can sing the two intervals mixed up and down without any mistakes, go to the interval identification exercise, set it to play p5 and p4, and you will find that you can name them with almost 100% accuracy, you will need only a little practice to get the 100%

Apply this to the other intervals.

Remember that it takes a lot of time to learn and interval (I guess it depends on hour habilities and music background), it took me above 3 months of daily practice to learn to sing the perfect fifth without any mistake!