Musical interval examples are one way to remember musical intervals. The other is to use solfeggio. Do note that not all of these song examples use Do as the anchor point, but they are helpful for remembering the intervals when you need.
This page gives you a list of songs to help you remember musical intervals by ear as well as some solfege syllables that use the musical interval.
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Interval
Descending
Ascending
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
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
Hedwig’s Theme (Harry Potter),
John Williams
Under Pressure,
Queen (Bass line)
Hallelujah Chorus,
George Frideric Handel
Tritone (Augmented 4th / Diminished 5th)
Do – Fi, Ti – Fa
Simpson’s Theme,
Danny Elfman
Maria (West Side Story),
Leonard Bernstein
Even Flow,
Pearl Jam
Danse Macabre,
Camille 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 – Do, Do – Le
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
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 – 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!)
