Recognise intervals by ear

It’s the difference in pitch between two notes. It is counted in semitones, that is, in neighbouring piano keys, white and black alike: from C to E there are 4 semitones, which makes a major third. Played one note after the other, the interval is melodic (ascending or descending); played all at once, it is harmonic.

Twelve, from the minor second (1 semitone) to the octave (12 semitones). This game includes them all. Beyond the octave, the same colours come back an octave higher: the ninth sounds like a second, the tenth like a third.

The surest method is to link each interval to the start of a melody you already know: Frère Jacques for the major second, Oh When the Saints for the major third, La Marseillaise for the fourth, Star Wars for the fifth. Each card gives its reference on the back. Start with “The 6 to start with”, ascending and from C, then add the random starting note, the descending direction and finally both notes together.

The fourth, the fifth and the octave are called perfect : they exist in only one form in the major scale and its relative minor. Seconds, thirds, sixths and sevenths come in two sizes, minor (the smaller one) and major (a semitone more). The tritone, exactly three whole tones, splits the octave in two: it is the augmented fourth or the diminished fifth.

The first sound takes a second to load. On iPhone and iPad, turn off silent mode (the switch on the side of the device): it also mutes web pages. Finally, check your computer’s volume and audio output.

They are samples from the Salamander Grand Piano, a Yamaha C5 grand piano recorded by Alexander Holm and released under the licence Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. They are loaded on demand, note by note, and nothing is sent to the server: your progress stays in your browser.