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6.6: Combining Intervals

  • Page ID
    258501
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    Smaller Building Blocks

    This method uses the idea that many of the larger intervals are used infrequently in melodic material, so our focus should instead be on smaller intervals. These smaller intervals can then be added together to determine a larger interval when necessary. A stack of six blocks, alternating blue, red, and yellow

    • Pro: the intense focus on intervals smaller than a perfect fifth means that hearing those will be a solid skill.
    • Pro: this method is useful when listening or dictating a melody when there are other musical elements happening at the same time.
    • Con: this method is best when you sing the interval and it is not always practical to be able to make external noises.
    • Con: for larger intervals, this method has multiple steps.

    Example

    The interval of a minor sixth tends to be one of the challenging intervals to hear. To use this method, follow these steps:

    1. Hear the interval.
    2. Recognize that it is larger than a perfect fifth.
    3. Sing the perfect fifth.
    4. Sing the perfect fifth and then one more half step.
    5. Confirm the lower note to the higher note is one half step larger than a perfect fifth, so it must be a minor sixth.

    This page titled 6.6: Combining Intervals is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lauren C. Sharkey.

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