13 Ear Training – Hearing Intervals Harmonically

What Are Harmonic Intervals?

In ear training, we call an interval “harmonic” if its two tones are played simultaneously.

One way to hear harmonic intervals successfully is to imagine them as parts of chords that commonly appear in diatonic harmony.

We have already learned that all the simple intervals may be found between various tones of the diatonic scale. By extension, we can find all the simply intervals through commonly used chords.

These piano workouts stress the intervallic properties of familiar chords. Practice them on the piano and sing through the tones melodically for additional familiarization.

Perfect and Imperfect Consonances Within the Major Triad

The perfect consonances (perfect fourths, perfect fifths, perfect octaves) and the imperfect consonances (major thirds, minor sixths, minor thirds, major sixths) can all be found within the tones of the major triad and its inversions. At the piano, play through this excerpt slowly, both as block chords and as arpeggiations in both ascending and descending motion, until you feel very familiar with the intervals contained within the major triad and its inversions.

Dissonances Contained Within the Tones of the Dominant Seventh Chord and Its Inversions

The major-minor 7 chord (V7 in diatonic harmony) contains two dissonances: the diminished fifth and the minor seventh. In inversions, we can hear the major second (which is the inversion of the minor seventh) and the augmented fourth (which is the inversion of the diminished fifth).

Dissonances Contained Within the Tones of the Major-Major Seventh Chord and Its Inversions

The major-major 7 chord (MM7) provides the extreme dissonance of the major seventh and its inverse, the minor second. (Notice, too, the way perfect consonances appear in this workout.)

The piano exercises above are just a starting point. As you gain familiarity with other types of triads and seventh chords, invent your own piano exercises based on the intervals contained within chords. Melody and harmony are both made of intervals! If you can quickly and easily determine intervals, melodic and harmonic dictations will pose fewer challenges. Practice chords repeatedly on the piano, making connections between their sound, their appearance on the printed page, and how it feels to play them with your fingers on the keys.