12 intervals · up, down, together
Interval ear training
Start with five intervals most people know, and add more when you're ready. Hear them going up, going down, or sung together like two parts in a harmony.
How to use it
- Pick Up, Down or Together for how the two notes are sung, tap Play, and tap the interval you heard. Play it again repeats it as often as you like.
- After a wrong answer, Hear yours and Hear the right one play both; Next plays a new one. Get 8 of your last 10 right and the next level opens; Settings has your own set of intervals, the range and a fixed starting note.
Intervals and songs to remember them
Every interval in an octave, its size in semitones (a semitone is the step from one piano key to the very next), and a well-known tune that starts with it (Happy Birthday and Twinkle after a repeated first note), going up or going down. Sing the start of the tune in your head and compare. Some intervals have no famous tune we'd vouch for; for those, the trainer is your best teacher.
| Interval | Semitones | Going up | Going down |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minor 2nd | 1 | Ode to Joy (after the repeated first note) | Joy to the World |
| Major 2nd | 2 | Happy Birthday | Mary Had a Little Lamb |
| Minor 3rd | 3 | Greensleeves | Jesus Loves Me |
| Major 3rd | 4 | When the Saints Go Marching In | Swing Low, Sweet Chariot |
| Perfect 4th | 5 | Amazing Grace; Here Comes the Bride | Eine kleine Nachtmusik |
| Tritone | 6 | - | - |
| Perfect 5th | 7 | Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star | - |
| Minor 6th | 8 | The Entertainer (its first high note) | - |
| Major 6th | 9 | My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean | Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen |
| Minor 7th | 10 | - | - |
| Major 7th | 11 | - | - |
| Octave | 12 | Take Me Out to the Ball Game | - |
How to practise
A few minutes most days beats an hour once a week. Stay on a level until it feels easy: the bar under the answer shows your last 10, and 8 right offers you the next level. You can always step back with the Level control at the top.
The intervals you miss come up more often, so your weak spots get the practice. To drill a pair you mix up, open Settings and pick just those two. Always start on the same note makes it easier at first; leave it off once you're steady, so you learn the sound of the leap, not the notes. On a computer, the number keys answer, the space bar plays and A plays it again.
Singing intervals: hear it, then sing it
Naming an interval and singing one are two halves of the same skill. Try this: before you answer, sing the two notes back, out loud or under your breath. Then answer, and tap Play it again to check yourself.
Set the range in Settings to where your voice sits, so every interval is one you could sing. A bass might start around E2 to E4, a soprano around C4 to A5.
Harmonic intervals: two voices together
Together sings both notes at once, as two voices, which is how harmony sounds. Thirds and sixths blend sweetly, which is why so much harmony moves in them. Fourths, fifths and octaves sound open and hollow. Seconds, sevenths and the tritone rub and clash.
Harmonic intervals are harder to name at first, because you hear one sound rather than a step. Listen for the two notes inside it, and use Up to hear them apart when you're stuck.
Free tools by Stackapella
You can hear the gap. Now sing the other note.
Stackapella teaches you to sing harmony one part at a time, right in your browser.
- A guide sings your partHear your line over the others, slow it down, then take your turn.
- Your notes light upEach note shows where you landed, and a hint when to go up or down.
- Record every part yourselfStack your takes in time until you're the whole choir.
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Questions
How do I learn intervals by ear?
Start with a few that sound clearly different, tie each to a tune you know, and practise a few minutes a day before adding more. That's how this trainer starts: Level 1 is the major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th and octave. When you get one wrong, hear your answer beside the right one, so you learn the difference, not just the name.
Which intervals should I learn first?
The major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 4th, perfect 5th and octave. They sound quite unlike each other, and most open a tune many people know. Then add the minor 3rd and major 6th, then the minor 6th and minor 7th, and last the minor 2nd, tritone and major 7th, which is the order of the levels here.
What songs help me remember intervals?
Tunes that start with the interval: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for a perfect 5th going up, Amazing Grace for a perfect 4th going up, Mary Had a Little Lamb for a major 2nd going down. The table below has one for most intervals, up and down. After an answer, the trainer names the tune for that interval when it has one.
What is the difference between melodic and harmonic intervals?
A melodic interval is two notes one after the other; a harmonic interval is two notes at the same time. Up and Down play melodic intervals, and Together plays harmonic ones. Harmonic intervals are usually harder at first, and they're what you hear when two people sing in harmony.
How long does it take to recognise intervals?
There's no set time: it depends on how often you practise and on the interval. Short, regular sessions work better than long ones, and for most people going down and together take longer than going up. The level bar shows your last 10 answers, so you can watch it improve.
Is relative pitch the same as perfect pitch?
No. Relative pitch is hearing how notes relate to each other, like knowing a leap is a 5th; most people can train it, and interval practice is how. Perfect pitch, or absolute pitch, is naming a note with nothing to compare it to, and few people have it.
Why should singers learn intervals?
Because finding your note is hearing an interval. In a harmony you often find your first note from another part's, and every leap in your part is an interval you have to sing in tune. Knowing them by ear makes learning a part, and sight-singing, much quicker.
How do I tell a major 3rd from a minor 3rd?
A major 3rd is one semitone wider: 4 semitones against 3. Going up, the major 3rd sounds bright, like the start of When the Saints Go Marching In; the minor 3rd sounds darker, like the start of Greensleeves. Practise just those two (Settings lets you pick them) and use Hear yours to compare.
What is a tritone?
An interval of 6 semitones, exactly half an octave, between a perfect 4th and a perfect 5th. It sounds tense and unsettled, wanting to move. It's in Level 4, with the minor 2nd and major 7th.
Does it keep my progress?
Your level and settings stay on this device, so you pick up where you left off. The score and the results by interval are for this visit. Nothing is sent anywhere, and there's no account.
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