heres what im doing

[d8g3jdh]

Im trying to practice intervals and scales, and so i have started playing your standard major in 3rds (as well as pacmans scale method). right now im just doing it in C major, and im beginning to do it in A minor as well. The goal being to get the sound of a third into my head. Im also doing it in fifths and plan to eventually get into 2nds, 4ths, and eventually 6ths and 7ths (those are gonna suck). I'm worried about learning in patterns though, so do you think this is a good way of learning intervals?

And while im at it, what are some good ways of learning intervals, scales and the fretboard?

[Wrong Robot]

Every theory teacher I've had has used association to teach intervals. Typically with various popular TV and movie themes. It is not inherently a bad way to familiarize yourself with intervals, nor is it a bad way to approach learning them. But ultimately, I think it is a crutch that should be removed sooner than later. It's something of a bottleneck to hear a major 6th and first have your brain recall a theme then have it recall that it's a major 6th, so ultimately one should strive to learn the intervals independently of that stuff.

But it might be worth your while to take a look at some of those associations. I stopped using them to think of intervals, and I can pretty much identify any interval off the bat so I can't list any of the themes or motifs I used to help, but perhaps, you could try listening the opening intervals of all your own favorite media and charting them out.

A great method of interval practice is to have a friend play intervals for you and you identify them. Lacking a friend to help, there are some online trainers that may be of assistance. The thing I would advise though is to try and practice intervals on various instruments. Sometimes it can be fairly natural or easy to identify intervals in some timbres or settings and completely different in others.

Lastly, Intervals are everywhere, listen to your music and spend some time trying to identify them. Start with just the opening intervals, or transitions into different sections, then maybe work your way to where you can identify any passage's interval movement on a dime.

If you can do that, you will also put a foot in on transcribing ability.

Another thing you can look at is the relationship of inverted intervals. So you hear a major 6th, do you also hear a minor 3rd with that? can you hear both ascending and descending? ...etc.

Your goal should be to work your internal ear so that you do not rely on anything but your ear to let you know what you're hearing, but, that's not to say there aren't things that can help(like listening to or looking at themes and melodies...etc.)

[Bushfire]

Wow, that was great! I think I'll print that out and stick it in the old bass folder!