# What are some tricks for remembering musical intervals
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 5, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232 "2004-09-05T17:26:18Z")
**Posts on this page:** 18
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/1 "2004-09-05T17:26:18Z")
I am taking piano lessons and need to train my ear for intervals. I know “Here Comes the Bride” is a good way to pick out a fourth and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for a fifth. What are some tricks I can use for other intervals?
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### Author:  [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/2 "2004-09-05T17:43:58Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#):
>
> I am taking piano lessons and need to train my ear for intervals. I know “Here Comes the Bride” is a good way to pick out a fourth and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” for a fifth. What are some tricks I can use for other intervals?
m2: **I Left** My Heart in San Francisco
M2: **Happy Birth** day
m3: **To Dream** the Impossible Dream
M3: **Oh When** the Saints Come Marching In
tritone: **The Simp** sons
M6: **It Came** Upon a Midnight Clear
m7: Star Trek theme
Can’t come up with any obvious ones for minor 6th or major 7th offhand.
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/3 "2004-09-05T18:17:34Z")
IIRC, The Simpsons is harmonised so there’s also a Major 7th in there.
For the minor sixth, ignore the inner note or **Ma** ri **a** (West Side Story)
There’s a perfect fourth at the opening of Auld Lang Syne.
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### Author:  [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/4 "2004-09-05T18:18:32Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#):
>
> m2: **I Left** My Heart in San Francisco
> M2: **Happy Birth** day
> m3: **To Dream** the Impossible Dream
> M3: **Oh When** the Saints Come Marching In
> tritone: **The Simp** sons
> M6: **It Came** Upon a Midnight Clear
> m7: Star Trek theme
>
> Can’t come up with any obvious ones for minor 6th or major 7th offhand.
Alternatively:
Ascending
m2: **Theme from Jaws**
M2: (happy birthdy)
m3: Brahms’ Lullaby
M3: **Do** , a **Deer** (a female deer)
P4: ( Here comes the bride)
TT: (the Simpsons), or **Maria** (from West Side Story)
P5: (twinkle twinkle)
m6: **The Entertainer** (it’s the first big jump that’s repeated three times)
M6: **N-B** -C
m7: **Somewhere** (West Side Story)
M7: **Bali High**
P8: **Some-where** Over the Rainbow.
Descending:
M2: **Three Blind Mice**
m3: **This Old Man**
M3: **Beethoven’s 5th**
P4: **O Come, All** Ye Faith Full
TT: **Jets Theme** (West Side Story)
P5: **Superman Theme**
m6: **Love Story**
M6: **Music of the Night**
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### Author:  [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/5 "2004-09-05T18:19:30Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#):
>
> For the minor sixth, ignore the inner note or **Ma** ri **a** (West Side Story)
Scratch that, I’m wrong :smack:
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### Author:  [@ZeroGyro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroGyro)
#### Post date: [September 5, 2004, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/6 "2004-09-05T18:35:17Z")
I call the major 6th the “My Bonnie” interval.
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### Author:  [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/7 "2004-09-06T00:37:43Z")
Since the question is about music, I’ll move the thread to our arts forum, Cafe Society.
bibliophage
moderator GQ
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### Author:  [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)
#### Post date: [September 6, 2004, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/8 "2004-09-06T04:22:01Z")
Is the chant of “AIR-BALL” at basketball games supposed to almost always be a step down from F to D? Yes, it was in a Dave Barry column that I first read it, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be true.
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### Author:  [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/9 "2004-09-07T00:10:16Z")
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#):
>
> I am taking piano lessons and need to train my ear for intervals. I know “Here Comes the Bride” is a good way to pick out a fourth…
Thanks a LOT. Now I have that in my head on infinite repeat.
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### Author:  [@tracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tracer)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/10 "2004-09-07T01:51:45Z")
> [@Flamsterette\_X](#):
>
> Thanks a LOT. Now I have that in my head on infinite repeat.
Here are [the lyrics to Here Comes the Bride, as Wagner originally wrote it](http://www.rwagner.net/libretti/lohengrin/e-lohen-a3s1.html). Now you can sing along to that in your head on infinite repeat.
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### Author:  [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/11 "2004-09-07T02:01:23Z")
Thanks for the tips. I am still having trouble figuring out a shortcut to remember a major seventh.(I’m not familar with Bali High)
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### Author:  [@I\_Know\_Nothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Know_Nothing)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/12 "2004-09-07T02:04:56Z")
That can’t be the way Wagner originally wrote it because I can’t find the words “Here comes the bride” anywhere. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Flamsterette\_X](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flamsterette_X)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/13 "2004-09-07T04:16:17Z")
> [@tracer](#):
>
> Here are [the lyrics to Here Comes the Bride, as Wagner originally wrote it](http://www.rwagner.net/libretti/lohengrin/e-lohen-a3s1.html). Now you can sing along to that in your head on infinite repeat.
I _just_ got the popular version out of my head, and now your reply comes through my email… thanks a lot, dude. 😛
(I don’t think I can sing along to that in my head on infinite repeat, though… where’s Subwoofer when I need it? 😉 )
> [@I\_Know\_Nothing](#):
>
> Thanks for the tips. I am still having trouble figuring out a shortcut to remember a major seventh.(I’m not familar with Bali High)
From the musical movie _South Pacific_… my sister and her friends loved that one for some reason. [Here are the lyrics to that one.](http://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/southpacific/balihai.htm)
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/14 "2004-09-07T04:32:06Z")
For a Maj7, you may have to do a little two-step trick, if you don’t know _Bali High_.
You already know what a minor second and an octave sound like, right? Well, take your starting note, go down a minor second, then go up an octave. You’ve arrived a Maj7 above your starting point. (Play with this on a keyboard if the description isn’t clear.)
Learning all the intervals really well is so essential to being any kind of musician … you can’t spend too much time studying these.
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### Author:  [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/15 "2004-09-07T04:34:48Z")
(Alternately, take your starting note, go up an octave, and down a minor second. Distance between the first and third notes is the interval.)
Also, it’s _Bali Ha’i_ I always did think it was a high school, though.
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### Author:  [@wolf\_meister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_meister)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/16 "2004-09-07T04:41:26Z")
The tritone - opening guitar notes of **"Purple Haze"**
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### Author:  [@buns3000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buns3000)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/17 "2004-09-07T05:24:07Z")
> [@ZeroGyro](#):
>
> I call the major 6th the “My Bonnie” interval.
You are quite right. Its also the opening to my old high school anthem, not that helps the OP any…
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### Author:  [@Hoops](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoops)
#### Post date: [September 7, 2004, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-tricks-for-remembering-musical-intervals/263232/18 "2004-09-07T06:03:45Z")
After you’ve gathered your mnemonic devices, [here’s](http://musictheory.net/downloads.html) an excellent utility for practicing them.