Well we have talked a lot about ear training and I’ve also introduced my favorite app Earpeggio to practice ear training drills (hey there, lookin good Major 3rd 🤩)!
Let’s take a minute and talk through the first four basic intervals you should be working on every day!
Back to basics
An interval is the distance between two notes. So you can see in the chart above that a M2 (major 2nd) is the distance between two notes. A M3 (major 3rd) is the distance between three notes, and so on.
Each day you should be practicing the first four basic intervals until you can get them consistently correct in the Earpeggio app. If you’re a Coaching student or a part of our Membership program, I have specific exercises for these intervals.
- Major 2nd – M2
- Major 3rd – M3
- Perfect 4th – P4
- Perfect 5th – P5
Get there faster
Here are some hacks to help your ear identify them as you practice.
- Major 2nd (M2) sounds like the first few notes in “Happy Birthday to You” or “Silent Night”
- Major 3rd (M3) sounds like the first few notes in “Oh, When the Saints” or “Kumbaya”
- Perfect 4th (P4) sounds like the first few notes in “Here Comes The Bride” or the theme to Harry Potter
- Perfect 5th (P5) sounds like the first few notes in “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” or “Baa Baa Black Sheep”
Well, I hope that helps take some of the guesswork out of practicing your intervals! Pull out that Earpeggio app and give it another run, but this time use these hacks and see how they help.
Weekly Challenge 💪🏻
Did you participate in last month’s ear training challenge? If not, we’re doing it again in our Community Group!
If not, then keep playing the Interval Identification game 2x daily! Check out this past blog post for details!
Practice that all week and then we’ll be posting a screenshot of your progress on Takeaway Tuesday.
Drill of the Week! 🎶
This week we’re going to continue our work on arpeggio exercises! Last week we did a simple arpeggio for a C chord in both hands. This week we’re going to focus on the left hand and learn an arpeggio pattern you can incorporate into your songs.
Starting on C with the pinky, play C, then G with your pointer finger, then streeeeetch your thumb up past the C and play E. Bounce back and forth between G and the top C and then start again.
CLICK HERE to view the demonstration
Be sure to play slowly and steadily in the beginning. Don’t pick up the speed until you can play the whole thing smoothly and without mistakes!
Practice this exercise 10x daily, left hand only.
RESOURCES
And don’t forget to join our Worship Community group
