Interval Practice 2
Added 2020-06-30 01:38:42 +0000 UTCNew here? Wondering where to start? Click here
This is a fun little exercise for playing thirds and sixths up and down the neck. This practice lesson pairs with Music Theory for Guitar • Lesson 3 • Intervals.
Download the PDF below for tabs and diagrams.
Download the mp3s below for incrementally faster practice.
Other lessons in this series:
Check out the Lesson Archive for more Music Theory lessons.
This lesson is part of my Music Theory For Guitar series.
Have a question? Ask on the weekly live Q&A, called Office Hours. Also, check out Practice Thoughts if you need help figuring out how to practice.
Comments
Just realized that playing intervals a bit slow, not by note, the result is traditional Mexican music! Like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGzkw60ym8w I'm all for Jazz and what not but knowing the theory makes me appreciate the beauty of music. Thanks for the lesson!
Abraham Avila
2024-05-05 07:20:29 +0000 UTCHi Scott, Do you want us to say/visualize the notes as we go through the exercises or do you want us to instead focus on identifying whether it is minor 3rd or major 3rd? I guess my big question is, how can we best optimise these exercises for learning?
Cesar Alvarado
2024-04-20 03:06:15 +0000 UTCBasically, because it sounded good! More specifically, because it stays in a key - which is something we'll cover in later lessons.
Scott Paul Johnson
2024-02-06 17:12:49 +0000 UTCI'm wondering why you switched between m3 and M4 on the drill with the first two strings?
Rick Hammel
2024-02-06 02:30:43 +0000 UTCSo more of a comment on the process less about theory. I have been "playing" guitar for 20 years (kinda). I learned open chords so I can see a chord and play along. I've learned some fingerpicking songs and stuff like that. Somedays it's hard to sit down and play through scales and intervals, this is what I should have been doing 20 years ago. But the cool part is as I follow your lessons and learn these things I am starting to see the building blocks of what I have been standing on. I play throught the thirds practice and I'm like "hey I recognize you, I played you in this song or that song". It's kinda like sitting next to someone for 20 years, then starting a deep conversation about who they are. It's very cool.
Tyson Keffer
2023-12-29 15:10:34 +0000 UTCIt looks like you are harmonizing by playing two notes in the scale, with a skipped note in between. And you point out that the distance between the two notes happens to be a M3 or m3. Is that correct?
Terence Wehle
2023-10-13 01:11:33 +0000 UTCWhy is this lesson we're mostly practicing the maj3 and min3 ? Im so confused
Tan1Cu
2023-09-28 10:36:51 +0000 UTCPerfect, Thank you.
Douglas Rodriguez
2023-09-15 18:32:36 +0000 UTCa word like "subdominant" refers to the 4th note of a scale, whereas a work like "perfect fourth" indicates a measurement of the distance between the tonic and the subdominant I tend to just use root, 2nd, 3rd, 4th for notes in the scale though
Scott Paul Johnson
2023-09-15 18:27:01 +0000 UTCHello, I'm loving this lessons a lot. I was wondering what's the difference between this type interval naming and the one that have names like tonic, dominant, subdominant and other names I can't quite remember?
Douglas Rodriguez
2023-09-15 18:16:58 +0000 UTCMany thanks Scott, that's good to know.
Mensah S
2023-03-02 08:11:03 +0000 UTCHi Mensah - sorry to leave you hanging! No need to go crazy fast. 85 sounds like a great goal, but slower is ok too!
Scott Paul Johnson
2023-03-01 23:11:39 +0000 UTCHi Scott- With regard to the interval 2 practice is there a minimal level of proficiency required i.e 85 BPM (cleanly) before you would advise moving onto the next module or should we be repeating until we hit warp speed ?! Thanks
Mensah S
2023-02-23 19:11:07 +0000 UTCAre you using your fingers or nails to do the picking with the second finger ?
harsh ghesani
2023-01-13 16:11:38 +0000 UTCCould you please also upload playalongs as with the other practice tracks, with ascending bpm? Many thanks
Timo
2022-11-19 22:17:07 +0000 UTCHi Timm - great question! There are two ways to think of intervals - one is a measurement of distance, which I've written out here. The other way is to think of it is how the notes relate to the root note chord-wise. In this case, you're right, the minor six would be the same as the major third in a chord. In this case, it's important to think of "a" and "the" - as in "the" third of a major chord is "a" major third up or "a" minor sixth down. And "the" third of a minor triad is "a" minor third up from the root and "a" major third down from "the" root. "The" refers to the relationship to the root regardless of the octave, because (for example) C# will always be the Major third of an A Major Triad. But "a" refers to the distance away, using intervals. So C# can be "a" Major third up from A or "a" minor third down from A. Or even "a" tenth up from the root, which would be a third plus an octave.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-06-23 16:38:16 +0000 UTCHi Scott, on page 1 of the interval practice 2 pdf, shouldn't the root notes (red) of the 6ths rather be on the B string than on the D string? Because the 6th below the root is the same as the thirds, but an octave lower...
Timm Delfs
2022-06-23 13:06:08 +0000 UTCHi Francis, I'm so happy to hear that! I've been teaching this stuff for a long time so I try my best to guess what questions people might have!
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-06-16 23:21:25 +0000 UTCHi Clement - THANKS! I'm glad you're enjoying your time here.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-06-16 23:20:35 +0000 UTCI have to admit that this is the best guitar teacher I had to meet to finally progress. I can't think of a better way to learn the concepts while practicing. To be honest, some of the stuffs I had to learn how they are called. I am one of the people who learnt inconsistently and could not progress. I hope I'm on the way now
Clement Kabiligi
2022-06-13 14:36:30 +0000 UTCReally having a great time on these lessons, and I think the reason is you don't make assumptions about what your students understand or don't understand and you nswer most questions in my mind before I've asked them! great Tutorials !! Definitely the most satisfying online classes I have taken
Francis Mutua
2022-06-13 07:27:22 +0000 UTCYES! You got it. Think of a minor third as if it was an inch and a half. It's just a measure of distance.
Scott Paul Johnson
2022-03-15 21:07:37 +0000 UTCHi Scott, I am mildly confused and just wanted to see if it clears something up for me. So when you say something is a minor third, that can be considered any distance of a whole step and a half step starting at any note on the scale? I think my main confusion is coming from why you start on the second note of the scale instead of the first note of the scale when you make the minor third. Unless it’s because you’re unable to play an E flat on the bottom string?
Sean
2022-03-15 13:01:16 +0000 UTCI got stuck here too, 5:28 minutes in. Prior to 5:28 minutes in the distance from C > E is described as being measured as a Major 3rd when you move the E to the D string, the distance is explained to be a minor sixth. Does the measurement change as you pair the same notes, C and E, across two different octaves? Furthermore, you could look up the fret board (high E to low E string) and see the distance from C > E as a major third just as easily as you could look down the fretboard and interpret the distance from C > E to be the distance from E up to C in the C scale to be a minor sixth. There are three additional dimensions for measurements that need to be accounted for; pairings across strings, pairings across octaves, and the starting and end point (and direction) of the selected notes within the scale. If you've explained these issues elsewhere, just let me know the date of the associated Music Theory Monday class. I'm appreciative of the use of your time.
Ethan B
2022-02-26 02:38:56 +0000 UTCHi Scott, Thank you for your reply, I just wanted to make sure that this is a simple exercise and not a particular "shape or box" that I need to remember as with CAGED system.
Vlad Vik
2021-12-01 16:21:03 +0000 UTCHi Vlad - part of the trick with teaching music is figuring out what order to teach things so that the pace moves along without getting bogged down with little details all the time. This is a fabulous question. First off, I think this will make more sense as you combine CAGED Basics with Music Theory Monday. These concepts do apply to every key, but this exercise was created to show how the intervals sound in a musical context. You don't have to remember them, but they will likely come up at some point so it couldn't hurt to remember them. I'd say just keep working through the lessons here and start doing the creative exercises in MTM and you'll start seeing the usefulness as we move along. How does that sound? Is there more to your question that I'm missing? Thanks for being here.
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-12-01 16:15:18 +0000 UTCHey! I'm not sure why I never responded to this comment! I think it depends on how you're looking at it. As intervals - which are just measurements of musical distance - we're just playing minor 6ths and major sixths. The distance from E up to C is a minor sixth and the distance from F to D is a major sixth and so on. BUT. since we're playing in the key of C, E is still the third of C even if it's in a different octave. Music is best understood holistically and in these lessons I hadn't quite discussed chords in a key, so I didn't go into detail. I hope that as you walked through Music Theory Monday, the relationships between these notes made more sense!
Scott Paul Johnson
2021-12-01 16:09:48 +0000 UTCThis might be a stupid question but I hope I’m not the only one here. While I do understand the importance of practice #1 where we simply train our finger memory on how to find a particular interval, why on practice #2 we deal with minor/major 6th (sixths :D), minor/major 3rd’s ? I understand this particular pattern should be useful playing whole notes in the key of C/Am, but how this ‘pattern’ is helpful when playing in other keys? I feel like I’m missing something here, are we supposed to remember these shapes from practice #2? Thank you
Vlad Vik
2021-12-01 14:00:07 +0000 UTCScott, this is so fun. I am learning music and English at the same time. I got it, sixths!
Page Lin
2021-07-27 16:10:12 +0000 UTCI was almost to lazy to do this second exercise, but after reading the comments I started. thanks for the indirect push! so cool to know now why this works and sounds sweet. also, hybrid picking...crazy stuff
Jay
2021-07-19 10:09:59 +0000 UTCVery fun lesson. I can see this being an important building block for lessons to come. Really enjoyed playing those mini chord changes to the backing tracks in different tempos. After just going up and down the neck in order, it was easy to find some other patters to throw in and play around a little.
Darryl Allen
2021-05-16 19:52:19 +0000 UTCI dont know why, but I missed this practice. Just doing now and realize that one my favorite solos from Mike McCready on Pearl Jam (song Come back) uses thirds. Exactly what you are teaching us, Nice! At 3:36s https://youtu.be/NfJClCBEk-w?t=213
DeDé
2021-03-26 22:12:26 +0000 UTCI just want to highlight why 4th string E note - 2nd string C note relationship is a sixths. I would say it is now in "C Major Scale Phrygian Mode", As supposed to 2nd string C note - 1st string E note relationship which is obviously derived from "C Major Scale Ionian Mode". I hope I'm getting it right.
Charles W Mendez
2020-11-25 09:41:26 +0000 UTCAfter looking at the videos at least three times and slowing absorbing the info my fears were released. You teach with such confidence that we will get where you want us to follow even if we do not understand and are afraid when new info is introduced that I am amazed when I "take it easy" and get it. Then I can confidently begin to pick up my guitar and practice all that was taught in writing. Thank you for sharing what you know in such a humble manner that we are taught without realizing how much you just covered.
Archiette Watts
2020-09-17 01:55:29 +0000 UTC
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