Intervals in a diatonic context or "straight"?

ankan · Post by **ankan** » 13 Jun 2006, 02:26

I try to fix my ear etc etc & blah blah blah...
The question is: Is it better to start learning intervals in a diatonic context or in a "straight" mode? For example, in the Major scale I can identify the
I <-> IV and the V <-> octave. I can say (let's assume we are in C Major) "ok, this is C-F, this is G-C", they are both perfect 4ths but sound different. It's difficult for me to identify e.g. the D-G or the E-A, they are perfect 4ths too but my ear is not yet familiar with them. Is it better to train to identify all the possible steps in a scale and then try to "measure" them (I heard C-A it's eehhh.... a Major 6th!) or to leearn the inervals as they are?

Waigin · Post by **Waigin** » 13 Jun 2006, 02:37

Start with the "Straight" mode and later add the diatonic. IMHO.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 14 Jun 2006, 13:02

Identifying scale degrees is another skill different to identifying intervals, if you try to develope both at the same time is obviously harder.

First try intervals, then learn to identify scale degrees, and then do the two things at a time.

Bojan · Post by **Bojan** » 27 Jun 2006, 06:00

If you ask me, you should do both things a bit, a bit of non diatonic and a bit of diatonic interval identification, switching, because doing so you will get a feel of both of them, and you will realize that diatonic way of looking to intervals is just one and in the modern music surpassed system of intervals for building a melody.