Who this is for
Beginners who can spell a major scale. If you already name intervals fluently, test out on Day 7.
Best done after: Steps & the Major Scale. It is advice, not a rule: every lesson has short "rusty on…?" boxes for anything you skipped.
Why learn this
An interval is the distance between two notes, and music is made of them: melodies are strings of intervals, chords are stacks of them and scales are patterns of them.
Naming an interval has two parts, a number and a quality, and both come from simple counting. This program teaches the counting first and the labels second, so that names like "minor sixth" stop being a memory test.
What you will be able to do
- How to count the number of an interval
- The perfect intervals (4th, 5th, octave) and why they are "perfect"
- Major and minor intervals, and the one-half-step rule
- Augmented and diminished intervals, and the tritone
- Building an interval above or below any note, with correct spelling
- Songs and sounds to remember intervals by
The 7-day plan
- Counting intervals. Find the number of any interval by counting letter names.
- The perfect intervals. Know the perfect 4th, 5th and octave on sight.
- Major and minor. Tell major from minor intervals and name any 2nd, 3rd, 6th or 7th.
- Building intervals. Find the note an interval above any note.
- Augmented and diminished. Name and build augmented and diminished intervals.
- Intervals by song. Attach a song or sound to each interval.
- Test day. Prove it: name and build every interval.
How each session works
Every day follows the shape of a workout. It starts with a warm-up that reviews earlier days, then technique: a short, plain explanation with a small interactive tool to try it on. Then come the working sets, drills with instant feedback, and a finisher, a short test with a pass mark so you only build on things you can do. A cool-down recaps the day and previews the next.
Choose your split
The daily split is a session a day: done in a week. The easy split is a session every other day, with rest days between: two weeks, and a gentler pace. On your own pace there is no schedule. Nothing is ever locked, and you can change split at any time.
What comes next
Ear Training 1: Hearing Intervals: The 6-Day Program or Triads and Inversions: The 6-Day Program. See the whole training plan.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to read sheet music?
No. Everything uses note names and the on-screen keyboard.
What is the difference between an interval and a scale step?
A step is the small distance between neighbouring notes. An interval can be any distance, such as a fifth, and is named by counting the letters between the notes and then adding a quality.
Why is a fifth called perfect?
Unisons, fourths, fifths and octaves are the perfect intervals. They come in one size, and they sound especially stable. Other intervals come in major and minor forms.
Can I learn intervals by ear too?
Yes. Every explanation in the interval builder has a hear it button, and Day 6 gives you songs to attach to each interval.