Hi, how are you doing, Justin here!
Here we are at Aural Training Stage 5,
where we are now looking at
all of the chromatic, ascending, melodic intervals.
Bit of a mouthful that one, aye?
So basically, we are looking at
all of the notes ascending, like going up,
within an octave.
There's 3 intervals that we haven't looked at yet,
they are a minor 6, a minor 7, (or a flat 6 and a flat 7)
and also an augmented 4th.
you can also call this a flat 5.
I tend to think of it as a sharp 4.
Doesn't really matter, sharp 4, flat 5,
augmented 4th, diminished 5th, same thing, don't worry about it.
So, we need to check out these intervals.
So, the first one that we need to look at
is the flat 6.
♪
Now, I always hear this...
The one that I kind of grew up with was a song called Black Orpheus.
♪
It's that. It's a kind of a jazz standard.
♪
But there's also a lot cooler ones.
So, you can either use Black Orpheus, or you can use Without Me, the Eminem classic,
the little riff that he get's going (♪) That beginning of that.
♪
That's a flat 6 interval. Minor 6.
♪
Great song.
♪
Ok, so, that's your flat 6, or Black Orpheus.
♪
Beautiful melody, again. The other one that we're looking at
is a flat 7, now, flat 7 sounds like this: ♪ Now, I always hear it as sounding bluesy.
That's how I recognize that interval. Apparently, the Star Trek theme tune starts like it,
but I just wouldn't be able, for the life of me, I can't figure out how it goes and I've already
started the video, I'm not gonna go and look it up on Youtube, figure it out,
work out and play it. So, those of you, that know Star Trek ♪
I used to be a fan of Star Trek too, It's kinda... I should remember how it goes,
I just, it's not in my head now for some reason. Anyway, that's the interval, it's a flat 7
♪
I just recognize it
♪
It's got two steps up to the octave (♪)
Just sounds kind of bluesy. Funk kind of sound in it (♪)
So, I'm not so helpful with giving you a song hint here on the flat 7 interval, but ♪
If some of you guys, you know, experienced aural trainers out there, ♪
wanna tell me some songs other then Star Trek, that start like that ♪
I'll add them up to the website, but some people find that interval difficult to pick.
It's just really getting the sound in your head ♪
Singing it over and over again, getting used to the sound ♪
Probably the best singing exercise you can do is: playing the root note,
♪
Try and sing that interval that you're going for, ♪ and then play it!
Make sure that you've got it right.
♪
Probably the best way of getting that sound properly in your ear.
That's flat 7
The other interval that we have to check out is the sharp 4, or flat 5.
♪
This is exactly halfway between an octave, this one:
♪
Used to be called the devil's interval (♪)
And if you were a composer, and you know, medieval times and you wrote this interval
in a song that'd burn you at a stake for being a witch
♪
Lucky, that doesn't happen these days, right? Or, I would be really screwed.
♪
There's a few tunes that...the most common I guess, tune that most people use I guess is
The Simpsons - ♪
Just sounds like that; it's kinda obvious. It's also from Ave Maria. ♪
The song I...that kinda resonated with me when I was a teenager and kinda learning this stuff
there was a band I really liked called Primus and they had a song called John the Fisherman
which started-off with this augmented 4th
♪
so I always hear it as being the John the Fisherman interval
♪ - Primus
But Simpsons is probably a more common
♪
It's not a difficult sound to get that one, it's got a...all of these intervals they've
kind of got their own personality. And that's kind of what you're looking for
you're looking for a song. A song's a really good start. If you can find a song that fits
with the inerval, a song that you know, that's really, that's the best place to start.
After you've played it a few times, and you've got used to hearing it
as a song, just see if you can find the character of the interval.
'Cause it's almost, they've got a personality, they've got their own flavor, or character
or color, whatever you wanna call it. Some methods around refer to them as
colors; the intervals as each one having a different color. They've never really
worked for me, I know it works for some other people, it didn't work for me.
I hear them as kind of characters. They've got a personality.
That's how I see it. Other people...you know; it's got a flavor, whatever you wanna call it, right?
But try and develop a little bit of that beyond just thinking of it as a song. Try and find a colour,
or a flavor, or a personality in the intervals, and you'll start to hear them a lot clearer
Especially as it gets more complicated and you starting to...later on
you'll looking at chords and you'll try to find the intervals in that chord, if you can
hear the personalities, or the colours, or the flavors, it's easier than trying to hear
all of those different songs all at the same time. That's pretty complicated, right?
So, I think we're ready now to have a close-up look, I nearly forgot that.
Ok, let's go to a close-up and check-out how to play these 3 different intervals.
Down 2 strings and back 2 frets. So, from here, down 2 strings, back 2 frets.
♪
Just practice doing it, practice the duu-daaa, then play it!
♪
Play the root note sing along with it then Jump to the interval with your voice ♪
It's minor 6, then we've also got minor 7 ♪
These are in the same fret, but with one string in the middle
So there, miss one, play the next one.
♪
Listen to it! Play it, listen to it! Really try and get it in your ears.
Do the little sing, check it! Also works of course ♪
So all of these different interval shapes work with either a 6th string root, or a 5th string root.
♪
It's a flat 7. Now the other one we've looked at was a augmented 4th.
♪
I always think of these as diagonals.
♪
Other one: beginning of Purple Haze it's another song that uses augmented 4th
There's quite a few - ♪
The Simpsons - ♪
Or, Ave Maria - ♪
It's Primus; so it's just completely diagonal. So, one string over, one string up.
That's how you play the augmented 4th.
It's time to do a test!
So, the 1st one we're looking at is gonna be test 5A, and we're going to
be playing each of the intervals twice and it is just going to be the flat 6, the flat 7,
and the augmented 4th. Now, just to pre-warn you a bit,
some people get a bit confused between the augmented 4th and the flat 7
Really try and get used to it. there is no other way, really other than
practicing and singing it. But try and get used to how far each one is from the root note.
The augmented 4th (♪) seems closer to me then (plays flat 7) it's like a bigger jump;
it's further away, (♪) I think the confusing thing is
that they're both referred to as dissonant. They both got quite a lot of tension in those intervals.
So, if they're personalities they're kind of wound up a bit, right?
So, because of that, there's sometimes it's a little easy to confuse the two, but
it, again, it's only practice. Everything on the guitar, it's just down to practice.
The right practice. So, let's do a test!
10 questions, let's go, here it is:
Question 1: ♪
And question 2: ♪
And question 3: ♪
Question 4: ♪
Question 5: ♪
Question 6: ♪
Question 7: ♪
Question 8: ♪
Question 9: ♪
And question 10: ♪
Ok, off to the website, check your answers, if you have any of it that you were struggling with
practice them a few more times, practice singing along,
try and feel their vibration, pick-up on their personality
find their flavor, look at the color, whatever it is that you're using,
try and get with those particular intervals that you struggle with.
Remember that when you're practicing this sort of stuff, you should be practicing
the ones that you struggle with, not all of them.
If you're totally acing 2nds, 3rds, 4ths and 5ths, when you're practicing, leave'em out!
Untick those boxes, so you're not working on those particular intervals.
'Cause you know them already. Work on the ones you can't do!
Very good little practice tip to remember is: always practice what you can't do,
dont't practice what you can. Lot's of people fall into that trap.
playing the same stuff that they know how to do over and over again;
They don't work on the stuff they can't do which is what would make them
a better guitar player. Of course this whole interval thing works not just for guitarists,
for all instruments, but you know what I'm saying. Okay, now we're at 5B.
The final test of this little series. In which we have all of the diatonic intervals.
So, minor 2nd, 2nd, minor 3rd, 3rd, 4th, augmented 4th, 5th, flat 6/minor 6, 6
flat 7, 7, and octave. A whole lots of juice from now. And this is kind of...
This is a seriously good level of aural training. If you can get this and
you can get'em all right that's great. So, see how you go, go to the website, there's
plenty more tests on there, if you use the interval--Justinguitar Ear Trainer thingy-
or do it yourself, practice buddy, whatever recording yourself. One of those methods.
That's what you should be up to now. So, here we go: this is test 5B
Good luck!
Question 1: ♪
Question 2: ♪
Question 3: ♪
Question 4: ♪
Question 5: ♪
Question 6: ♪
Question 7: ♪
Question 8: ♪
Question 9: ♪
And question 10: ♪
Ok, there we go, that's the end of aural training stage 5, there's
plenty more information on the website, if you wanna continue your aural training
and start looking at harmonic intervals, and or descending intervals.
So, hope that was lots of fun, you did really good, practice hard, stay safe,
take care, and I'll see you again real soon. Bye-bye!