Active Melody

Learn to play blues guitar.

The Interval Lesson I Wish Someone Had Given Me – Guitar Lesson EP492

Description

In this week’s lesson, we’ll be talking about how to find, understand, and use intervals to create melodies when composing a song or improvising. Having the ability to hear and play intervals is the key to speaking the language of music! This lesson comes with 12 jam tracks (1 in each key), and an interval ear training quiz.

Part 1 - Free Guitar Lesson

Part 2 - For Premium Members

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Comments

    • Cal T says

      Brian – JonStrat stated it so well. I find myself drifting in and out of guitar and when I come back and see your posts and esp a well presented lesson like this it is energizing and activates me – pulling me deep in like a magnet… cheers ‘n thanx

  16. Rickie L says

    I knew a band leader (played lead guitar and vocals) who could take request from the audience and jump into whatever song it was and sound like the record. That always amazed me how he could do that so easily. Probably applying what you showed us in EP392. thanks Brian

  19. Laurel C says

    What a revelation in seeing numbered intervals as the language to determine a melody of a song. Only knew about 3rd and 6th intervals but this has opened up a treasure chest on the concept of intervals. Can see how useful and important ear training is to be able to create and understand music by knowing the descriptive numbering. Transposing with numbers seems more workable. Plenty of practice material to work with as I really need it, my quiz results were dismal. A good topic to do a series of future add ons.

  21. Raymond P says

    What a wonderful lesson Brian. I have always wondered how some people could hear a song and then quickly play it in the same key. I will be using this extensively to train my ear, so I’ll be better able to do that too with the songs I listen too.

    Thank you so much Brian.

  22. Clydene B says

    This is so great!!! I have a music reading background, but have struggled applying it to my baritone ukulele (tuned like the top 4 strings of guitar) This lesson definitely some light bulb turn on!! I love you teaching style. Thank you!!!

  24. Mark H says

    Thanks Brian. *This* is the _exact_ lesson I need. Bonus pickup is the excellent palm muting technique going on in part 2

    Clicked on the first quiz, got the very first question wrong and decided to return to the quizzes later 😁

    I will have to be more disciplined and try to stick closely to the exercises. I tend to jump the tracks and start jamming out in mixolydian mode or something.

  27. Charles S says

    It’s like knowing something about the workings of a car instead of just turning the key and manipulating the wheel and gas/brake pedals. Music as human ear-emotion science. Thanks Brian for getting us into it.

  30. Burton M says

    I just can’t make that work but music has always been a struggle, if this is repeated enough will a persons brain every learn those tones or does a person just have to have that god given talent? I keep trying but some people just seem to make it look so easy.

  34. Stuart M says

    Great lesson. It marries up the lesson from a few weeks ago on triads and their root notes, along with CAGED, and the pentatonic patterns. Really glues everything together in a way that I’m really going to benefit from exploring.

  40. Ron R says

    Who would have ever thought we could combine Superman, John Wayne and the Wedding song in a blues lesson. That was GREAT! And I now also understand intervals a whole lot better. Your style of teaching is fantastic. Thank you!

  41. Tim Read says

    Fantastic…so much great learning in this it’s like a course rather than a lesson 😁. So well explained and set out and so much practice material…I might not been seen outside of the house until after New Year 😂

  46. Joe C says

    Thanks Brian,
    I am so glad I found you. You have a gift for teaching music. I am a senior, and now that I am pretty much retired, I have time to really dig into my passion of playing the guitar. Have been playing for 50 years, but have always wanted to know music better. Thank you for what you do and how you do it.

    Joe

  49. Bruce G says

    Great lesson Brian! The quiz section is super helpful–going back to my school days I figured out that just understanding what I thought I read or heard from the instructor was not enough—you need that challenge to really begin to UNDESTAND (synthesize?) the concept. I will look forward to your ideas on how to challenge myself around concepts and ideas you share in future lessons as well.

    As I practice the drills you go through in section 2, I am also trying to “hear” the next note I’m going to in my head BEFORE I play it. Trying to build that skill of being able to play what I hear in my head….

    • Bruce G says

      Also–curious— the lesson is based on hearing intervals relative to the root. Should we also try to learn to hear other intervals? (4th to the 6th…. 7th to the 5th?) You touch on this somewhat in the thirds and sixths lessons—where we hear those intervals differentiating what a third sounds like versus a sixth…

      Inverted thirds, sixths, etc.? I’m assuming those are more advanced steps in training your ear?

      • Brian says

        Ultimately yes – you’d want to be able to identify the interval from any note, both ascending and descending (descending is even more challenging) – also, all 12 notes… but trying to do all of that into a meaningful lesson would just run folks off.. so I started with the basics of hearing those intervals.

  53. Bill K says

    Brian, love the channel and the lessons. I would be interested in seeing a focus on 3rds and 6ths and how to apply them in soloing and rhythm playing. Specifically understanding how and when to apply Ascending and Descending 3rds and 6ths through chord changes.

  55. Chris White says

    Thanks Brian. I’m learning to relate all intervals to the major scale. I’ve been asking for riffs and leads to be taught with intervals as it makes them more memorable (rather than fret location or note names) and instantly transposable. Plus learning the same lick or melody in each of the locations on the fretboard helps too. Glad you started on the D string too because we always seem to start on the A or E string and then get lost in the middle strings. Thanks for your patient teaching.

  61. Jim B says

    Brian. I have been a premium member for several months and this is definitely my favorite so far. I’ve already watched it three or four times and I will keep coming back to it. I love the play along format and concepts. After all, we learn best by doing rather than just hearing and seeing. I would love for you to post more play alongs. Modes will make a great topic, so would a lesson on certain rhythms. The possibilities are limitless. Thanks again for helping me to become a better musician.

  63. Rick R says

    I started doing ear training a couple of years ago. It’s not easy, but the more you do it, the easier it is to find the notes for improvisation or develop small 2, 3 and 4 note phrases. Great lesson Brian.

  64. david S says

    Thanks Brian. I’ ve been a guitar hack for many years and I’m tired of just memorizing song w/o understanding what is goin on. I recently joined Active Melody because of both your knowledge, and your unique ability to teach. these simple lessons with jam tracks are a great way to learn the sound of the different intervals and have fun doing it. My only regret is not finding your channel earlier.

  66. Werner L says

    A(nother) huge AH..HA moment. Can’t tell you how absolutely valuable for me. I had some rudimentary understanding of intervals (I thought) but this really pulls it together on guitar. I want to spend a block of time with this getting it all down. I like that you picked a key of B (different) to explain it all and make music. I’m always impressed with your teaching techniques, but pulling examples of well known tunes in two or three intervals e.g. happy birthday and all the others is brilliant in effectiveness. Thanks so much.

  70. Gary C says

    Hey this is like taking me back to grade school music while learning the scale of the white keys of the fingering of the trumpet. You just can play without learning the scales, and boy did I forget just imbportant that they really are. Thanks Brian for a kick back to leaning just how to play.

  72. Robert M says

    Great lesson Brian. I can see hours of playing enjoyment with this. Looking forward to the jam tracks in the Minor keys, but there is plenty here that relates to the minor blues. keep them coming. Your a great teacher. And thanks

  84. James K says

    Now you’re talking!! A very long time ago I had a teacher that you could play a D9th or 7b9th etc. for, and he would tell you just be hearing it, what it was. I thought well I’ll never get there. Maybe that’s were this is going. Many Thanks, Jim K

  86. Darrell Arnold says

    This has been really helpful. I’m playing around with it, mostly without the tracks, but as I’m also practicing scales and discovering the chords within the keys, learning new transitions to the dominant and subdominant chords nearby.

  88. Stacey O says

    Thanks so much for this lesson. Seems out of the box compared to most of your other lessons but I see how immensely important this skill set is. You very creatively opened my eyes (and ears) to an apparently very important concept in improvisation. I love hearing and trying to identify the intervals and learning how to play them in the scales. I can see that this will flesh out the fretboard even more and give me a way to identify and reproduce sounds more easily. Thanks for including the quizzes. these are so helpful and challenging.

  90. Tom D says

    Thanks for teaching an “interval” lesson Brian! Learning “how to find, understand, and use intervals” is an aspiration. Your insight and communication skills are amazing.

    Cheers, Tom

  92. sheila s says

    Fantastic Lesson. I especially liked the practice (play along) session with you. I’m not the most creative in coming up with practice ideas so your suggestions on what to do are helpful. Really appreciate the backing tracks in all 12 keys. Thank you so much for this lesson.

  95. Brian B says

    Sh-t, Brian, EP492 is the best lesson ever for an intermediate player like me. Beginners won’t really get it. Advanced players probably think they don’ t need it. But a great building block for me. Thanks. Brian B

  96. David R says

    Brian, this lesson is gold. I don’t know why intervals seem never to be taught or explained this way – its by far the clearest and most useful approach I’ve encountered. Keep up the great work, I’m benefiting hugely from my membership.

  97. Ricky H says

    More of these types of lessons would be great. I really appreciate the ear training. It is my weakest spot. I also have trouble hearing chords. I can play along with anyone as long as I can see their hands but if I were back to back I have much more trouble identifying the chords. Might be a nice next step to build on this.
    Thanks so much

  98. Joseph L says

    Wow! Playing root and the various intervals over and over until i saw the relationships really opened scale/interval understanding up for me. Now I recognize the intervals including the flat 3rd and 7th minors as easy as the scales. I needed to learn this one. Great on point teaching method.

  99. mikekern says

    Brian, great lesson. Here is a suggestion. Take the 7 modes, and dedicate a lesson or micro lesson to for each mode and create a few very different jam tracks for each mode. Just a thought to share

  101. John H says

    Since getting in a grove and staying in the pocket is sooooo important The jam tracks in this lesson really help define that pocket. I love just getting in there, feeling the groove and then letting the notes flow out – VERY cool lesson Brian !!!

  103. Geoff says

    Wow! I am just shocked at how bad I am at hearing these. Seems like I can get the 4th and the 3rd reasonably consistently but not so good on the others. Great ear training that I realize I could benefit from working on.

  106. William G says

    As always, Brian is a great teacher, If you want to hear a slightly different approach, you may want to look at Sean Daniel, who does tons of YouTube videos, including intervals. Not the same depth and effort as Brian, but he might clarify a point or two. Thanks, as always, Brian.

  112. Ian B says

    lots of great stuff in that lesson Brian. Have been through it several times now and still getting additional lightbulb moments ! Have spent quite a bit of time actually learning the notes which has been a benefit too.

  119. Paul O says

    Yes, I like this. I love those lessons that focus on the fundamental concepts, and I feel this is one of them, so I intend to spend as much time as it takes for me to get it.
    Cheers Brian, I am enjoying all of this!

  120. Axel Fischer says

    Awesome lesson!
    I was close to give up practicing guitar – then I came across this lesson, took Powepoint to draw me a nice fretboard and positioned the notes in different colors – and, ony one hour later I started improvising!

  122. Steve L says

    Definitely going to be spending some of my practice time on this lesson. Trying to recognise the intervals playing over each of the jam tracks will take some time, but definitely worth the effort.

  123. Rob N says

    Oh no, I can’t recognise the intervals in the tests. Brian’s throw away comment: ‘If you can’t hear it you can’t play it’ its obvious.
    Years studying pentatonics and triads, arpeggios, licks and modes haven’t helped me improvise meaningfully like they should have. This is the first language needed to have any hope of accurately reproducing music from my head: ‘The next note I want to hear should be right here on the fretboard’. With no accurate note mapping, playing is mechanical but not expressive. This is going to take a while. I heard that if you describe your own emotional feeling towards each interval and choose one word to describe it, it helps the sounds stick in memory. Everyone’s impression words are personal.

  124. Georg B says

    Great lesson! I will do the quiz together with my kids. Family challenge 🙂
    (Maybe you would like to add “y” to many. How manY intervals … Sorry for being a teacher.)
    Thank you for this fine approach to intervals.
    Georg

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