Skip to main content

How to Recognize Intervals in Piano Sight Reading

Learning to recognize intervals as they relate to piano sight reading exercises is a process that all performers should learn. The difference between intervals is subtle but extremely important to play accurately. Relating these intervals to piano keys will make it easier to play new music and improve your sight reading skills. With a few simple exercises, you will be instantly recognizing intervals without hesitation. Since intervals are the basis for all music, it is best to spend the time to learn what these intervals look like.

Step 1

Learn each of the intervals by using the chromatic scale. There are 12 intervals that you must know. The minor and major second, minor and major third, perfect fourth and fifth, major and minor sixth, major and minor seventh, octave and tritone. The Musical Intervals Tutor will help you to recognize each interval by sight and aurally.

Step 2

Practice playing each interval on the piano. Start on the lowest C and play minor seconds from the bottom to the highest pitch. After playing all the intervals starting on C, start on C#, and then D. If you use these three pitches, you will play every interval possibility on the piano.

Step 3

Continue the process from Step 2 by playing a major second. Do this for each of the 12 intervals. For instance, when playing a major second, you will start on C and then move to D, E, F#, G# and continue up the scale playing major seconds.

Step 4

Create 12 flash cards for each of the 18 most common notes in the chromatic scale: C, C#, Db, D, D#, Eb, E, F, F#, Gb, G, G#, Ab, A, A#, Bb, B and C. Pick an interval that you will play ahead of time and select a random card after shuffling. Play the interval above the note selected as quickly as possible.

Tips

Take the time to learn the intervals now to increase your efficiency in the future.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Why Claude Debussy Never Cared About Music Theory

  Claude Debussy was born on August 22, 1862. So, I felt writing a blog post to celebrate would be appropriate. Debussy was a revolutionary composer who challenged the conventions of Western music. He was influenced by the impressionist painters, the exotic sounds of gamelan music, and the symbolist poets. He created a musical language that was expressive, colorful, and atmospheric. One of the most remarkable aspects of Debussy's music is his use of harmony. He did not follow the rules of tonality and functional harmony that dominated the music of his time. Instead, he used modes, scales, chords, and parallel movements that created a sense of ambiguity and fluidity. He also experimented with timbre, texture, rhythm, and form to create musical images that evoked moods and emotions. Debussy's music can inspire us to think outside the box and explore new possibilities in our own compositions. We can learn from his innovative techniques and his artistic vision. We can also apprecia...
Post a Comment
Read more

List of Musical Techniques and Their Meanings

Musical techniques are the building blocks of any basic music training. These techniques allow performers to improve their coordination and develop accuracy through repetitive daily exercises. Musical techniques progressively build upon previously learned techniques. Scales Scales form the basis for other musical techniques. Student may study major and minor scales as well as modern scales, such as the whole-tone and octatonic scales. A scale consists of patterns of half steps and whole steps. These whole steps and half-step arrangements will be different for each scale. Scales are musical techniques that can help a performer to play faster and more accurately, and make learning new pieces easier. Chords Chords require knowledge of major and minor scales. Chords come in several different forms that affect the sound. Triads consist of three notes spaced a third apart and classified as major, minor, augmented and diminished chords. Seventh chords build on triads and have an additional no...
Post a Comment
Read more

Similarities of Classical and Baroque Music

Music has evolved through the centuries and undergone drastic changes. One of the most significant transitions was from the Baroque to the Classical period of music. In this paragraph, I will compare and contrast some of the main features of these two styles, such as ensembles, instrumentation, and counterpoint study. The Baroque and Classical periods of music have many similarities. While the style of music changed drastically, certain key elements remained the same between the two styles. Composers in the Classical period sought to simplify music and create clearly audible musical lines. In contrast, composers from the Baroque period were interested in creating complex and highly ornamented musical lines. The Baroque period occurs from approximately 1600 to 1750, and the Classical period extends from 1750 to 1820. Ensembles Ensembles are groups of musicians that perform together. Both the Baroque and the Classical period had similar types of ensembles, such as operas, orchestras, str...
Post a Comment
Read more