From Intervals to Music
Apply interval recognition and audiation to real melodic contexts, building fluent, accurate intonation in musical phrases.
From Exercises to Expression
You’ve trained the most important intervals in music—steps, skips, and leaps up to an octave. That’s no small feat. You’ve built tools that many singers never take the time to develop.
Now, it’s time to put those tools to use.
This lesson is the turning point: from drills to music, from theory to expression. You’ve earned this shift. Treat it as a chance to connect the dots—and hear your voice with new clarity.
What You’ll Learn
- How to audiate and sing intervals as part of full musical phrases.
- How to anticipate leaps and resolve them with intention.
- How to self-assess tuning in song-based examples.
Guided Practice
- Audiation Warm-Up: From Shapes to Sounds
Use a simple visual pattern (e.g., up a 2nd, down a 3rd, up a 5th) and audiate it before singing. Try both from a fixed Do and varied starting pitches. - Melodic Patterns in Motion
Short phrases combining known intervals (2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, octaves). Each exercise is:- Sung once by the track
- Audiated silently by you
- Then sung from memory
Resist the urge to repeat after the track—you’re building your inner ear, not copying.
- Familiar Melody Breakdown
Choose 1–2 of the following and annotate them (mentally or physically) for their interval content. Then sing from memory:- Happy Birthday (3rds, 2nds, P4)
- Scarborough Fair (P5, P4, steps)
- Over the Rainbow (Octave, descending 5th)
Focus on hearing each interval before producing it. Track which ones feel solid and which slip.
Once you’ve worked through these, try identifying intervals in a few other songs you know. Aim for 80% accuracy in hearing and labeling intervals before you sing. This will prepare you for greater independence in the next lesson.
Need help identifying the intervals?
For each of the melodies above, we’ve included a reference showing the starting note and the intervals between key pitches. Use these to check your work—or to guide your practice if you’re unsure how to begin.
Feeling stuck?
You’re not alone—interval recognition takes time. If you’re having trouble, hop into the VoSci Community. We have a dedicated channel for tuning and audiation support where you can ask questions and learn from others working through the same material.
Audiation First: Even if you use the breakdown, always try to hear the interval in your head before you sing.
- Self-Audiation Challenge
Record yourself singing a melody unaccompanied. Listen back. Ask:- Which intervals felt solid?
- Which ones surprised you?
- Did you drift? If so, where?
This is not a test—it’s feedback. Let what you discover shape your next practice session.
Takeaway
You now have the tools to hear, predict, and produce intervals inside real songs. That means you’re not just singing—you’re controlling pitch with intention. This is where technical skill meets musical fluency.