Intervals are the fundamental building blocks of melody and harmony. In this class, we will learn to identify and notate intervals outside of melodic and harmonic context. Many learners initially find this challenging. The learning process becomes much easier if we can invent an imaginary context based on the commonest melodic and harmonic uses of intervals. For example, it is easy to identify an ascending major sixth if we are able instantly to imagine it in a context such as the first two pitches of the folk song “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.”
Please study this table of recommended solfege syllables for every interval, and commit it to memory. At this stage, we will learn the intervals within the concept of the major scale only, to avoid confusion, though of course there are common intervallic contexts within the tones of the minor scales too.
Please avoid identifying all intervals in relation to do. For example, there is no melodic or harmonic context in diatonic music for a minor second spelled do, ra. Its commonest contexts are ti, do and mi, fa.
| Interval Name | Abbreviation | Recommended Ascending Solfege |
|---|---|---|
| perfect unison | P1 | do, do |
| minor second | m2 | ti, do or mi, fa |
| major second | M2 | do, re |
| minor third | m3 | mi, sol |
| major third | M3 | do, mi |
| perfect fourth | P4 | sol, do |
| augmented fourth | A4 | fa, ti |
| diminished fifth | d5 | ti, fa |
| perfect fifth | P5 | do, sol |
| minor sixth | m6 | mi, do |
| major sixth | M6 | sol, mi |
| minor seventh | m7 | sol, fa |
| major seventh | M7 | do, ti |
| perfect octave | P8 | do, do |
Download these two PDFs and read them before the next class.
“Intervals Through Key Relationships” provides a more detailed explanation of the principles of recommended solfege for intervals. Play the examples on the piano and sing them until you have internalized the rationale for the context-based system of identifying and singing intervals.
“Melodic Intervals in Diatonic Context” details well-known pieces that feature the intervals using the solfege recommended in the chart above. Don’t know the pieces? No problem, please visit the Spotify playlist “UI Aural Skills III Intervals in Context” embedded below.