Descending Minor 7th

The descending minor 7th is a relatively uncommon interval in most vocal repertoire. It appears more often in bass lines but can show up in any voice part. Because of its rarity, singers don’t get many opportunities to practice this leap, making it easy to overshoot—especially when it doesn’t resolve to the tonic.

This week’s exercise will help you gain confidence and accuracy with this large, descending interval—building one of the more challenging skills in ear training and vocal control.

This week’s goal is daily practice—short, focused, and consistent. The entire routine takes less than 2 minutes and builds long-term skill when repeated every day.

Each day, aim to:

 

1. Choose a comfortable starting note in the upper-middle part of your range.

2. Audiate the descending minor 7th (Te–Do).

3. Sing the interval.

4. Check your pitch against a piano or reference tone.

5. Record yourself and listen back to assess accuracy and consistency.

6. Repeat in a few different keys.

 

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The descending minor 7th can be a difficult leap. If it feels too challenging, start with the ascending minor 7th instead.

👉 Check out our Tonic Intervals page for a refresher.

When sung correctly:

• The ascending minor 7th tends to resolve down to the 6th scale degree.

• A major 7th, if accidentally sung instead, feels like it wants to resolve up to the tonic.

Use this to check yourself. If your interval wants to resolve up, you probably sang a major 7th instead of a minor 7th.

Level up your practice with these two strategies:

Change the Syllables

Try singing descending minor 7ths using different solfège combinations:

• La–Ti, Sol–La, Fa–Sol, Mi–Fa, Re–Me, Do–Re

This forces your brain to process the interval in new musical contexts—especially since these combinations don’t return to the tonic.

 

 Change the Starting Pitch

Practice descending minor 7ths starting on:

• Different scale degrees

• Different voice registers

• Unexpected keys or tonalities

 

This variation builds versatility and strengthens your internal sense of pitch. For example, start on Re and descend to Fa, or on Sol and descend to Ti. The more ways your brain can map the interval, the more reliable your tuning will become.

✅ Pro Tip: Don’t skip the mental prep—audiation is key to nailing accuracy here.

 

• Overshooting to a Perfect Octave: This is the most common error. You’re aiming just below the octave—so resist the urge to “round up.”

• Mismatch in Timbre and Intensity: Because the two notes often land in different vocal registers, they may sound unbalanced. Aim for even tone and dynamic control.

• Lack of Mental Prep: This interval can feel like a “leap into the void.” If you just guess and jump, your accuracy will suffer. Take a breath, hear it in your mind, then sing.

 

🎙️ Optional Challenge: Try singing the interval twice—once with consistent tone and once with intentional contrast between the top and bottom notes. This builds control and expressive range.