Hi, can anyone recommend ways that I can get a Major 6th interval to stick in my head? I've been trying to memorise what the interval sounds like and it's just not working. There doesn't seem to be a "relationship" between the two notes that I can grasp on to. (It's time like this that I wish I was musical, lol!)
I'm trying to improve my sight reading because I'm planning to take Grade 7 in the autumn term, but I'm so so awful at it.
Any thoughts/tips would be gratefully received, many thanks

Ambs x

I always remember this one as the first two notes of "My Bonny lies over the Ocean" - not sure if anyone else has a more modern example (but perhaps the old favourites are sometimes the best?)

Easy! First sing the ascending scale from the first note to the sixrh and then sing the first and sixth notes only. The first two notes of the hymn tune (St. Clement.) to the words "The day thou gavest Lord, is ended" form a major sixth too. If you can recall that you will me able to sing a major 6th.

I always think of the NBC Chimes for the major 6th

Well, if it's for singing purposes, I'd always recommend not using intervals for sight singing - you'll eventually drift off pitch. Learn instead how to feel each scale degree, then you don't care what note came before or what comes after, you know you've got the note you need (am I doing well, Cyrilla?! )

If you're a Kodaly person, then it's do la - which is easy enough.

If you just want a way to hear a major sixth and remember it, then the drinking song libiamo ne' lieti calici from traviata is full of em (although technically, they are soh-mi and not doh la I think - Miss Rilla will correct me if I'm wrong there)

Thank you all of you. I shall try a combination of all those ideas, which hopefully will do the trick.



Ambs x

Thinking of 'My Bonnie' and 'The day thou gavest', I think this interval is often found as a dominant-mediant, or soh-mi, in context. For those not conversant with either way of describing it, that would be C-A in F major.

Is it true that the Hokey Cokey originated from a bunch of Netherlanders singing "Me too, Me too, Me too?"

no!When my grandmother died 30 years ago in amongst her music was the original sheet music for the hokey cokey. It even has a couple of verses. I believe my Dad still has it. It was an English or American music hall song. Not sure how this thread got there though!

I have heard that it was originally a post-Reformation derogatory song sung by protestants about catholic ritual. The 'hokey cokey' is a corruption of 'hocus pocus' which in turn is a corruption of the words of the Latin Mass. The hands in and out etc. refers to the actions of the priest when consecrating the Host.

And a mile away from the original subject!

*awards rosfrog a gold star*

I like Malcolm Arnold Scottish Dance No 3. I don't know if Arnold composed the tune or not. It's pentatonic and to me has the feel of a folk song or piece of traditional music.

There is a prize for anyone that can find a tune that actually begins with d-l as opposed to s,-m.

Though, of course, as it's so rare it might not be that useful.