Musical interval examples are one of two helpful ways to remember musical intervals: using solfeggio or by remembering them through popular (or at least familiar) songs.
This page gives you a list of songs to help you remember melodic musical intervals by ear as well as some solfege syllables that use the musical interval
Interval
Ascending
(Low to High)
Descending
(High to Low)
Minor 2nd (Half step)
Ti – Do
Jaws Theme — John Williams
Pink Panther Theme – Henry Mancini
Für Elise – Ludwig Van Beethoven
Jurassic Park Theme – John Williams
Major 2nd (Whole step)
Do – Re
Happy Birthday to You – Patty and Mildred J. Hill
Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer – Johnny Marks
Mary Had a Little Lamb – Lowel Mason
Three Blind Mice – Traditional
Minor 3rd
Re- Fa
Do – Me (minor key)
Seven Nation Army – The White Stripes
Lullaby – Johannes Brahms
Frosty, the Snowman — Walter “Jack” Rollins and Steve Nelson
This Old Man – Traditional
Major 3rd
Do – Mi
Oh, When the Saints Go Marchin’ In – Traditional
Kumbaya – Marvin V. Frey
Swing Low, Sweet Chariot – Wallis Willis
Symphony No. 5 – Ludwig Van Beethoven (bum bum bum BUM)
Perfect 4th
Do – Fa
Wedding March – Richard Wagner (“Here comes the bride”)
Hedwig’s Theme (Harry Potter) – John Williams
Under Pressure – Queen (Bass line)
Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah – George Frideric Handel
Tritone (Augmented 4th/ Diminished 5th)
Ti – Fa
Simpson’s Theme – Danny Elfman
Maria from West Side Story – Leonard Bernstein (Chorus)
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
Danse Macabre – Saint-Saëns
Perfect 5th
Do – Sol
Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star – Traditional
Star Wars Theme – John Williams
What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor? – Traditional
Game of Thrones Theme – Ramin Djawadi
Minor 6th
Mi – Higher Do
Do – Le (Natural Minor Scale)
We Are Young – FUN (The word “fire” in the chorus)
Johanna from Sweeney Todd — Stephen Sondheim
Call Me Maybe – Carly Rae Jepsen
Love Story Theme – Henry Mancini
Major 6th
Do – La
My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean – Traditional
NBC Chimes – Commercial
Man in the Mirror – Michael Jackson (Chorus)
The Music of the Night from Phantom of the Opera – Andrew Lloyd Webber
Minor 7th
Sol – Upper Fa
Do – Te (Natural Minor Scale)
The Winner Takes it All – ABBA (Chorus)
Somewhere from West Side Story – Leonard Bernstein
The Shadow of Your Smile — Ella Fitzgerald
An American in Paris – George Gershwin
Major 7th
Do – Ti
Take on Me – A-ha
Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones
I Love You – Cole Porter
Octave
Do – Upper Do
Over the Rainbow – Harold Arlen
The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music – Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
The Lonely Goatherd from The Sound of Music – Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II
(it goes both ways lol!)