Diatonic Interval Drills – Major
To paraphrase the song “Do-Re-Mi” from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, “When you know the solfège to sing, you can sing most anything.”
The solfège syllables in the charts below are realized in C major, but they work the same in any major key.
Sing each exercise in several different keys using:
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Solfège syllables
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Nonsense syllables
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Interval qualities
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Absolute note names
1.
| d r d m | d f d s | d l d t | d __ d’ __ |
| d’ t d’ l | d’ s d’ f | d’ m d’ r | d’ __ d __ |
| s, l, s, t, | s, d s, r | s, m s, f | m r d __ |
| s f s m | s r s d | s t, s l, | s, t, d __ |
In C major:
Example of how to practice interval qualities:
2.
| d m r f | m s f l | s t l d’ | t r’ d’ __ |
| m’ d’ r’ t | d’ l t s | l f s m | f r d __ |
3.
| d f r s | m l f t | s d’ l r’ | t m’ d’__ |
| m’ t r’ l | d’ s t f | l m s r | f t, d __ |
4.
| d f m | r s f | m l s | f t l |
| s d’ t | l r’ d’ | t m’ r’ | d’ ____ |
| m’ t d’ | r’ l t | d’ s l | t f s |
| l m f | s r m | f d r | d ____ |
5.
| d s d | r l r | m t m | f d’ f __ |
| s r’ s | l m’ l | t f’ t | d’ ____ |
| s’ d’ s’ | f’ t f’ | m’ l m’ | r’ s r’ __ |
| d’ f d’ | t m t | l r l | s t, d |
6.
| d s r l | m t f d’ | s r’ l m’ | t f’ t d’ |
| s’ d’ f’ t | m’ l r’ s | d’ f t m | l r s d |
7.
| d s l s | d ____ | r l t l | r ____ |
| m t d’ t | m ____ | f d’ r’ d’ | f ____ |
| s r’ m’ r’ | s ____ | l m’ f’ m’ | l ____ |
| t f’ s’ f’ | t ____ | d’ s’ l’ s’ | d’ ____ |
| s’ d’ t d’ | s’ ____ | f’ t l t | f’ ____ |
| m’ l s l | m’ ____ | r’ s f s | r’ ____ |
| d’ f m f | d’ ____ | t m r m | t ____ |
| l r d r | l ____ | s d t, r | d ____ |
8.
| d l r t | m d’ f r’ | s m’ l f’ | t s’ d’ __ |
| s’ t f’ l | m’ s r’ f | d’ m t r | l t, d __ |
9.
| s, __ f __ | m r d t, | l, __ s __ | f m r d |
| t, __ l __ | s f m r | d __ t __ | l s f m |
| r __ d’ __ | t l s f | m __ r’ __ | d’ t l s |
| f __ m’ __ | r’ d’ t l | s __ f’ __ | m’ r’ d’ __ |