Ear Training: The Sounds of Intervals (How to Identify Them Fast)
To identify an interval by ear, ask whether it sounds resolved (perfect fifth, major third, minor third), dissonant (minor second, diminished fifth, major seventh) or like it wants to move somewhere (major second, perfect fourth, minor seventh), with the sixths sounding mysterious and versatile.
Key points
- Start by asking whether two notes sound resolved, tense/dissonant, or like they want to move.
- Resolved: perfect fifth (neutral), major third (bright), minor third (dark).
- Dissonant: minor second, diminished fifth and major seventh; anticipation: major second, perfect fourth and minor seventh.
- The major and minor sixths are versatile, mysterious sounds that can anticipate or resolve.
- Practise by guessing intervals with a partner or playing random notes with your eyes closed.
An interval is the distance between two notes. In this ear training lesson, Jason Zac of Nathaniel School of Music shares a practical way to recognise intervals quickly by the way they feel rather than by counting keys. It suits beginners starting ear training and songwriters who want to use intervals with more intention.
Why intervals matter
Intervals are the building blocks of music. They shape your melodies, add emotion to them and form the basis of your harmony. As a composer you use them in almost everything you write, so being able to hear them is a valuable skill.
Step 1: Ask whether it sounds resolved, tense or dissonant
When you hear two notes, the first question to ask yourself is simple: does this sound resolved and calm, or does it sound tense, uneasy or even wrong? Sorting a sound into one of these families narrows down the possibilities straight away.
Resolved intervals
- Perfect fifth – calm and stable, but fairly neutral. It does not carry much emotion of its own.
- Major third – also resolved, but with added emotion that is generally positive, happy and bright.
- Minor third – resolved as well, with emotion on the darker side.
This is how you tell the perfect fifth and major third apart: both feel settled, but only the major third carries that bright, happy colour.
Dissonant intervals
- Minor second
- Diminished fifth
- Major seventh
Compared with a perfect fifth, these sound clashing. There is nothing wrong with a dissonant interval, though. Your ears simply need to learn to detect it, and your mind then decides how to use it in the song you are writing.
Step 2: Listen for intervals that want to go somewhere
If an interval is neither clearly resolved nor clearly dissonant, it may be an anticipation interval. These sound not quite stable and seem to want to move towards something stable, such as a perfect fifth or a major third. Examples include:
- Major second
- Perfect fourth – also used in suspended chords
- Minor seventh (the seventh found in a dominant seventh chord) – which tends to want to move on, for example back down towards the sixth
Step 3: Recognise the sixths
The major sixth and minor sixth are unique sounds with many uses. They can work as anticipation, as a resolution, or as a colour in their own right. The minor sixth in particular has a very mysterious quality.
Intervals in combination
In real music you rarely play a dissonant interval on its own. You usually combine it with something resolved. For example, add a third to a major seventh and you get a major seventh chord, which does not sound very tense or dissonant at all. Combining intervals is how you add different colours to your music.
How to practise
Ear training apps and websites can be very helpful, but the most natural way to improve is to play more music with other people and to listen to more music. Your grasp of intervals improves automatically as you do.
- Partner practice: one of you plays two notes on the piano and the other guesses the interval. Then swap roles.
- Eyes-closed practice: if you are on your own, switch off the lights or close your eyes. Play one key with your left hand and a random key with your right hand. Because the piano is not a very pattern-based instrument, you will lose track of exactly which keys you pressed, so you have to rely on your ears.
- Name the family, then the interval: decide first whether the sound is resolved, dissonant or wanting to move, then work out the exact interval. In the demonstration, an unstable, unresolved sound turned out to be a major seventh.
Questions about this lesson
How can I tell a perfect fifth from a major third by ear?
Both sound resolved and stable, but the major third carries a bright, happy emotion while the perfect fifth sounds calm and fairly neutral.
Which intervals sound dissonant?
The minor second, the diminished fifth and the major seventh are the dissonant intervals in this lesson. Dissonance is not wrong; it is a colour you learn to hear and use.
What is an anticipation interval?
It is an interval that is neither fully resolved nor harshly dissonant but sounds like it wants to move to something stable. Examples are the major second, the perfect fourth and the minor seventh.
How can I practise interval recognition alone?
Close your eyes or turn off the lights, play one random key with each hand on the piano and identify the interval by sound alone, starting by deciding whether it feels resolved, dissonant or unsettled.
Practise it
- SpanAn interval practice studio with separate Ear, Eyes, Hands and Voice drills.
- Two NotesA guided field guide to intervals: consonance, inversions, scales, modes and the Circle of Fifths.
- All free music apps40 practice tools for harmony, rhythm, ear training and more.
Related lessons
- How to Sing and Play Intervals (Theory and Ear Training on Piano)To practise intervals in three dimensions, play a root note on the piano, sing the target interval first, then play it to check your answer, working from stable resolutions to anticipations and finally tensions.
- 5 Finger Piano Exercises for Beginners That Sound BeautifulPlace your right thumb on C and your pinky on G. Then play four drills: up and down, in thirds, in triplet groups and in two-note pairs, all over a steady left-hand pulse. Next, change the second, third and fourth notes to turn the same drills into minor, dreamy or flamenco-like music.
- How to Creatively Practise Thirds Over Piano ScalesTo practise thirds over a piano scale, write the scale in a circle, pair each note with the scale note two steps above it (E with G#, F# with A, and so on in E major), then play those pairs up, down, or in mixed directions to build both technique and melody.
- How to Figure Out Any Song's Chords by Ear: 5 Ear Training StrategiesTo figure out a song's chords by ear, first mark where the chords change and find the song's scale, then narrow down each chord using the bass note, cadences, the melody's landing notes, the chord's quality, and its sense of tension or rest.