What part of the sound of notes to focus on while ear training to correctly identify notes?
I am using different instruments from my Keyboard to do ear training. In practicing ear training, i have learnt from the forums here that I should focus and pay attention to the pitch of the note. While theoretically I know what pitch is, practically during playing notes what part of the "Sound of the notes" should I specifically focus on & pay attention to to correctly identify the notes? Does that part sound the same in different instruments like when I play piano, flute and harmonica? Plz help me visualize that part so that I can use it in my ear training.
On the similar lines, is there a sound pattern that will help me identify intervals? Like when i play M2 and M6, what is the difference in the sound I should focus on to identify the notes of the interval correctly?
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Regarding identifying intervals, you're likely better off matching intervals with the first 2 notes of well-known musical excerpts until you know your intervals by heart. That's how I was ear-trained on intervals. For example, Scott Joplin's "The Entertainer" has an early and distinctive ascending minor 6th leap in its melody, and "O Christmas Tree" starts with an ascending perfect fourth. Keep checking intervals against candidates until you get a match.
Almost every sound you can make will have its basic pitch, and to a greater or lesser extent, some harmonics which are inevitably included in its sound.
Those harmonics, in most instruments, are quieter than the basic note, which will be the lowest sound heard. That's the pitch to consider most. Listen to a piano note, and the same note with a violin sound. They certainly have a different timbre, but the basic pitch will sound the same. If you can't hear that, then stick to piano, flute or trumpet sounds.
When trying to identify intervals, then always think the lower note is the start point. Sing up, as if that's the tonic of its own key. Use a major scale initially, and when you reach the higher note, count up. Your last sentence doesn't make sense, as although there is a specific interval between M2 and M6, you wouldn't be calculating intervals in that way - at least not until you were pretty good at them anyway.
In key Cmajor, M2=D, M6=A. Interval between them is P5, but at your stage, that's inconsequential. Lower note - D, uper note - A, go up major scale and interval is P5.
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