Day 11: Intervals (Assessment)

Question 1: Fill in the table with the intervals between each part. (excerpt)


Questions 2-4: Identify the intervals.

Question 5: Build the following interval: a minor third down from E.

Question 6: Build the following interval: a diminished fourth up from Ab.

Question 7: Build the following interval: a augmented sixth down from F#.

Question 8: The horn begins with which of the following intervals? (excerpt, 1:24)

A. Minor Sixth
B. Major Seventh
C. Perfect Fifth
D. Major Sixth

Question 9: Attempt to get at least 18 correct on the exercise linked here.


Explanations are included in some answers.

Answer 1:
Answer 2: Augmented fifth. The white-note interval (G—D) is a perfect fifth. The D, however, is sharped, so the interval increases. This means it's now an augmented fifth.
Answer 3: Diminished sixth. Note the clef! The white-note interval (A—F) is a minor sixth. The sharp on the A brings the A, thereby making the interval smaller. So, one below minor is diminished.
Answer 4: Diminished second. The white-note interval (D—E) is a major second. The flat on top makes the interval smaller, and the sharp on bottom also makes the interval smaller. We go from major to minor to diminished.
Answer 5: E—C#. Three down from E is C. E—C (down) is a major third. We make this minor by making the interval smaller, or by raising the lower note.
Answer 6: Ab—Dbb. If you don't know what the generic fourth of the Ab Major scale is (Db), you should at least know the generic fourth of A, which is D. Lower these, and you're back to your original key. We have a perfect fourth (Ab—Db) and we diminish it by lowering the Db to Dbb.
Answer 7: F—Abb. We need to go six down from F#, so our white note interval is F—A (down... this is not a third). A to F is a minor sixth. You could've figured that out by finding the inverted interval, F to A, which is a major third. We need to change this minor sixth to an augmented sixth, meaning we have to expand our interval twice. Because we can't change the F (it was given), we have to lower our A to make the interval bigger. So, our final interval is F—Abb.
Answer 8: D. The previous phrase ends with a 1—3—1. Then, the horn player goes from 5—3 to eventually land on 1. This is a very common progression.

Tonality in Context (Key Signature Practice)

Here is some extra practice for identifying key signatures by listening to a song and using a piano for reference. Below are pop songs in chronological order, from the birth of pop to modern pop. Remember that the chorus of the song often contains scale degrees 1, 3, and 5. Also remember that many songs start on the typical 5—1 progression. The piano is linked here.

Question 1: Mr. Sandman (1954) - The Chordettes

Question 2: Jailhouse Rock (1957) - Elvis Presley

Question 3: Johnny B. Goode (1958) - Chuck Berry

Question 4: Stop! In the Name of Love (1965) - The Supremes

Question 5: Here Comes the Sun (1969) - The Beatles

Question 6: Piano Man (1973) - Billy Joel

Question 7: More Than a Feeling (1976) - Boston

Question 8: We Are the Champions (1977) - Queen

Question 9: Don't Stop Believin' (1981) - Journey

Question 10: Jessie's Girl (1981) - Rick Springfield

Question 11: Eye of the Tiger (1982) - Survivor

Question 12: Girls Just Want To Have Fun (1983) - Cyndi Lauper

Question 13: Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go (1984) - Wham!

Question 14: You Give Love a Bad Name (1986) - Bon Jovi

Question 15: Where Do Broken Hearts Go (1988) - Whitney Houston

Question 16: Janie's Got a Gun (1989) - Aerosmith

Question 17: Smells Like Teen Spirit (1991) - Nirvana

Question 18: On Bended Knee (1994) - Boyz II Men

Question 19: My Heart Will Go On (1997) - Celine Dion

Question 20: Bye Bye Bye (2000) - NSYNC

Question 21: Fallin' (2001) - Alicia Keys

Question 22: Burn (2004) - Usher

Question 23: We Belong Together (2005) - Mariah Carey

Question 24: Big Girls Don't Cry (2007) - Fergie

Question 25: Love Story (2008) - Taylor Swift

Question 26: Rolling in the Deep (2011) - Adele

Question 27: Diamonds (2012) - Rihanna

Question 28: Ride (2015) - Twenty One Pilots

Question 29: Shape of You (2017) - Ed Sheeran

Question 30: Mystery Song (????) - ????


Explanations are included in some answers.

Answer 1: A Major. This one should be pretty easy, as the first few notes of the song are a arpeggio. Also, the low "bum" at 0:07 is a 5—1. At 0:46, it changes to D major.
Answer 2: Eb Major. It may be tempting to say Ab Major, but this is a twelve-bar blues song—it is common to modulate to the fourth. It could also be tempting to say Eb minor because he sings a Gb most of the time. Again, remember this is 50s, so use the blues scale. The major blues scale is used a lot in the 50s, which has a minor third in there for dissonance—this minor third does not actually make the song minor, however. Lastly, the little motif in the beginning (D—Eb) should help in the identification of the key.
Answer 3: Bb Major. The key can be identified within the first few seconds as the guitar plays a small variation on the blues scale. Berry sings a lot of Fs, the fifth in Bb Major.
Answer 4: A minor or C Major. The chorus starts in A minor, but most of the song is in C Major. The very first note ("Stop!") is an A. "Think it o-over" ends on a C.
Answer 5: A Major. Many of the words are either A, B, or C#. Also, at 0:11, there is an E7 resolving to A Major, a good example of a 5—1.
Answer 6: C Major. When Billy Joel sings "makin' love - to his tonic and gin" at 0:42, he ends on a C. It's a temporary close to the phrase, indicating that the song is in C Major.
Answer 7: G Major. The introduction is in D Major, but it transitions to G Major around 0:36. At 0:42, the guitar lands on a G, really solidifying the key of G. The vocals that come in shortly after focus on G as well.
Answer 8: F Major. At 0:39, the song settles into F Major. The song continues to modulate (C minor, Eb Major, D minor, F minor), but the chorus is in F Major. It starts on an F ("We").
Answer 9: E Major. Most of the words are either on E, G#, or B. On "anywhere" (0:29), Steve Perry ends the phrase on an E.
Answer 10: D Major. The chorus starts at 0:34. "Jessie's Girl" ends on a D, and the D Major chord underneath it supports it.
Answer 11: C minor. The easily recognizable guitar motif at the beginning goes from C to Bb back to C. It powerfully sets the song in C minor.
Answer 12: F# Major. The chorus ends on an F# at 0:41.
Answer 13: C Major. The first few lyrics ("jitterbug") repeat on a C. George Michael ends the first sentences of the chorus on a C (0:38, 0:41, 0:44).
Answer 14: C minor. The first 10 seconds of the song (the chorus without accompaniment) reveal the key. It ends on a minor third, going from Eb to C.
Answer 15: D Major. The song starts on a D Major chord and continues to resolve back to it, except when it modulates to Eb Major at 3:07.
Answer 16: F Major. At 0:46, the introduction resolves to F Major. That's when Steve Tyler also sings "Janie," which begins on an F and goes to an A natural. Parts of the song are also in F minor.
Answer 17: F minor. The chorus continually goes back to F minor. The guitar underneath could also be used to identify the key signature.
Answer 18: Eb Major. This one is tricky! At 0:36, the piano resolves to Ab Major, but this doesn't last for long. At 0:41, the piano travels down to Eb and stays in Eb Major. Occasionally, it does go back to Ab, but it's primarily in Eb.
Answer 19: E Major. Right as the vocals come in, the accompaniment resolves to E Major. Celine Dion also lands on an E.
Answer 20: Ab minor. The orchestra hit at the beginning (0:23) and the bass that occur throughout the song solidify the key of Ab minor. Also, the chorus makes its way through the Ab minor scale.
Answer 21: E minor. Every time she sings "fallin'" there is an E minor triad underneath.
Answer 22: Db Major. The vocals start at 0:35, where Ushers descends from an F to a Db.
Answer 23: C Major. This scale can be exemplified in a descending line from A to C at 0:32.
Answer 24: G Major. "This has nothin' to do with you" ends on a G at 1:18
Answer 25: D Major. When the vocals come in at 0:16, Taylor Swift hovers around D.
Answer 26: C minor. Because the song continually resolves to C at the beginning, this song's key should not be too difficult to identify.
Answer 27: B minor. The chorus—"shine bright like a diamond"—is just a B and an F#. There are B minor chords in the background, which lets you know that it's B minor, not B Major.
Answer 28: Gb Major. Many of the lyrics focus around Eb minor, but the synth in the background sets the song in Gb Major.
Answer 29: C# minor. "-dy" of "body" at 1:04 is a C#. Ed Sheeran sings many F#s, but he always resolves this to an E or a G# (both are part of the C# minor triad).
Answer 30: Db Major. Of course I had to include this one... Anyway, the chorus ends on a Db ("desert you" at 0:49).

Day 10: Singing/Hearing Scales (Assessment)

Question 1: Attempt to get at least an 22/25 on the exercise linked here.

Questions 2-6: Use the virtual piano linked here to give the reference pitches. Sing the following scales.

Question 7: Sing a descending G major scale. Use the virtual piano linked above to give the reference pitch, G.

Question 8: Sing an ascending F minor scale. Use the virtual piano linked above to give the reference pitch, F.

Question 9: Sing an ascending Eb major scale. Use the virtual piano linked above to give the reference pitch, Eb.

Question 10: Sing an ascending Bb minor scale. Use the virtual piano linked above to give the reference pitch, Bb.

Question 11: Sing a descending C# major scale. Use the virtual piano linked above to give the reference pitch, C#.


Explanations are included in some answers.

Use the audio below for questions 2-6.

Answer 2: 0:00
Answer 3: 0:07
Answer 4: 0:14
Answer 5: 0:22
Answer 6: 0:29

Use the audio below for questions 7-11.

Answer 7: 0:00
Answer 8: 0:07
Answer 9: 0:14
Answer 10: 0:21
Answer 11: 0:29