Hearing and Singing Sevenths and Octaves

Review

This lesson assumes that you are already familiar with Sevenths and Octaves. If you have logged in and been following the lessons and practice apps in order you should already be familiar with them.

If not, you can learn about Sevenths and Octaves by going to Sevenths and Octaves.

You will also need to be able to sing

Sevenths

Hearing

When identifying and singing Sevenths by ear, we will not include Augmented 7ths because they will sound identical to a perfect octave. We will also not include Diminished 7ths because they will sound identical to a major 6th

Singing

When singing melodies it may be helpful to know that Minor 7ths occur in 5 places. They occur between:

Major 7ths occur in 2 places. They are between:

Inverting the Interval

Some people find it easier to invert the interval in their mind by moving the top note down an octave or the bottom note up an octave. This will create a 2nd. Remember that a minor 7th will invert to a major 2nd and a major 7th will invert to a minor 2nd.

Octaves

Hearing

When identifying and singing Octaves by ear, we will not include Augmented 8ths because they will sound identical to a minor 9th. We will also not include Diminished 8ths because they will sound identical to a major 7th

Singing

When singing melodies it may be helpful to know that all octaves in a major scale are perfect.

The following chart has some pointers to help you hear and sing sixths. Some people find it easier to associate an interval with a song. There are a few examples listed in the chart, but you can find many more by searching online for 'Songs that begin with a [insert interval here]'.

Interval
Melodic Sound
Harmonic Sound
Music that begins with a this interval
Minor 7th (m7)
Because of the large leap it tends to be followed by motion in the opposite direction of the leap.
Unstable interval. The top note sounds like it wants to resolve down.
Star Trek Theme (Original), Somewhere (Westside Story)
Major 7th (M7)
It tends to be followed by motion up by half-step.
Disonant interval. The top note sounds like it wants to resolve up.
Do to Ti. The higher note wants to continue up to Do.
Perfect Octave (P8)
Sounds like the same note, but higher or lower.
Stable interval.
Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Take Me Out to the Ballgame

Return to Hearing Music Hearing Unison-Octave