Characteristics Of The Intervals

Be Aware Of The Interval Characteristics.

In jazz training, we were taught to hear chords as a unit with a certain characteristic.
Because in some cases, the player would use all 10 fingers with each finger on a different note, it seemed impossible to pick out each individual note quickly. So we learned to hear the unit and give it a name. Something about the sound of the chord reminded us of a color, or shape, or emotion, or style.

The same happens when you hear an interval. If a minor second is played, we tend to think “crunchy” or “dissonant.” Being able to link the interval with some adjective will help to quickly identify the interval and your ability to sightread will being to improve.