Minor 2nd (one half step)
Ascending: Jaws Theme
Descending: Joy to the World
Major 2nd (2 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Happy Birthday or Frere Jacques/Fray Felipe
Descending: Mary Had a Little Lamb
Minor 3rd (3 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: So Long, Farewell (Sound of Music)
Descending: Frosty the Snowman
Ascending: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Descending: Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
Ascending: Here Comes the Bride or Oh Christmas Tree
Descending: Old MacDonald Had a Farm
Ascending: The Simpsons theme
Descending: Black Sabbath Black Sabbath
Perfect 5th (7 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Descending: Flintstones
Ascending: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star
Descending: Flintstones
Minor 6th (8 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: The Entertainer (3rd and 4th notes)
Descending: no example found ("doh-mee" descending solfege)
Ascending: The Entertainer (3rd and 4th notes)
Descending: no example found ("doh-mee" descending solfege)
Major 6th (9 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: old NBC theme or Hush Little Baby
Descending: Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
Ascending: old NBC theme or Hush Little Baby
Descending: Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen
Minor 7th (10 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Star Trek theme
Descending: no example found - please help
Ascending: Star Trek theme
Descending: no example found - please help
Major 7th (11 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Take On Me
Descending: no example found - please help
Octave/Perfect 8th (12 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Descending: There's No Business Like Show Business (2nd and 3rd notes)
Ascending: Take On Me
Descending: no example found - please help
Octave/Perfect 8th (12 half steps or semitones)
Ascending: Somewhere Over the Rainbow
Descending: There's No Business Like Show Business (2nd and 3rd notes)
Some of these song associations are so ingrained that they are super easy to hear. In other cases I struggled to find familiar examples; as in I can't really imagine the Star Trek theme for an ascending minor 7th. Some of the wider descending intervals must not be very common at all, because I found no usable examples for a descending minor 6th, descending minor 7th or descending major 7th.
If you know of other intervals examples, especially any that might be found in Grateful Dead or Phish songs, please share them.
So I've been taking this as a bit of challenge to find at least one of your missing intervals. Those are tricky ones! Good job sniffing out the ones you have, 'cause the only ones you missed are fairly scarce. The best I can do so far is one very much in the middle of a melody, but it's pretty pronounced, so it works just fine. Descending minor 7th in Til There Was You by The Beatles (also in the musical The Music Man.
ReplyDelete"There were bells on a hill, but I never heard them ringing. No I never heard them at *ALL TIL* there was you.
"All til" is a descending minor seventh interval.
Thanks Matthew. See you Saturday!
DeleteWow, this is a great idea to associate the intervals with famous songs. I am totally going to work out the missing ones and as soon as I am done - I will let you know. Thanks a lot!
ReplyDelete