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Repeat the interval
Two notes – repeat both.
Ear training: the target notes stay hidden until you have sung them.
Repeat the interval plays two random notes in a row and asks you to sing both back. The second note is the point: it can be any distance from the first, a second, a third, a fifth, up or down. The targets stay hidden until you've sung, so you're working purely from hearing. It builds interval memory, the skill behind learning a melody by ear. 'Lah' keeps both notes clear and separated by a light consonant rather than a slide.
How to do it
- Listen to the two piano notes, hearing them as a shape: up or down, small or wide.
- Sing the first on 'lah', then move to the second with intention, not a glide.
- After you sing, the targets appear; compare the size of your leap with theirs.
- Six repetitions, each a new pair; notice which intervals you undershoot or overshoot.
- If a leap surprises you, name the interval in your head so you recognize it next time.
Coach's tip: Focus on the second note – the first is always easier.
What to watch out for
Almost everyone nails the first note and misses the second, usually landing a semitone short on wide leaps up. Think of the second note as the target and the first as a launch pad. Sliding between the two hides your real accuracy; keep the move clean. Don't guess and correct mid-note; the score reflects where you landed. There's no physical strain here, so the only limit is attention. Six sharp repetitions beat twenty lazy ones.
Who it's for
Advanced beginners who already do Repeat the note reliably. Use it early in a session, or as a quiet contrast after loud work. If a particular interval keeps failing, drill it with fixed patterns such as Interval: perfect fourth or Interval: major sixth, then come back. Listed in the Intonation and Ear programs.
Part of programs: Intonation · Ear
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