The list below is just a beginning, a means for stimulating the creation of your own list.

 

  

Minor second up:  Jaws, Charade,

Minor second down:  Für Elise, Joy to the World,

 

Major second up:  Happy Birthday,

Major second down: Three Blind mice, Mary had a little lamb,

 

Minor Third up: Greensleeves,

Minor Third down:  Misty, When Irish eyes are smiling,

 

Major Third up:  Oh when the Saints go marching in

Major Third down:  Beethoven’s fifth, Swing Low sweet chariot,

 

Perfect Fourth up:  Here comes the bride,

Perfect Fourth down:  Born Free,

 

Tritone up:  Maria

Tritone:  rare at the beginning of melodies

 

Perfect Fifth up:  Twinkle twinkle little star

Perfect Fifth down: Feelings   

 

Minor Sixth up:  Go down Moses, Theme from Black Orpheus

Minor Sixth down:

 

Major Sixth up:  My Bonnie lies over the ocean,

Major Sixth down:  Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen

 

Minor Seventh up:  There’s a place for us, Twilight Zone,

Minor Seventh down: (recommend major second inversion)

 

Major Seventh up:  Bali Hi (third note with the second being an octave up from the first note so still just two pitch classes),

Major Seventh down:  No common tune (recommend minor second inversion)

 

Octave up:  Somewhere over the rainbow

 

 

Principles of your own list creation:

 

1.      At a minimum, the tunes must be known well enough to sing a few notes from a variety of single given tones.

2.      To be of maximum benefit, you should be able to sing at least through the interval desired against the interference of loud noises or masses of pitches or a group of tones in the wrong key.

3.      It is best for the interval to arise in the first two notes but, if the third note is strongly stressed and the second is very much unstressed, that can work as well.

4.      It doesn’t have to be at the very beginning of the piece but it does have to be right at the beginning of what comes to mind when the name of the tune is said or comes to mind.

5.      If you need more than a single note to sing the first two tones, that piece is not ready to go on your main list but can go on a second list of tunes that need to be known a little better before they are ready.

 

A beginning of a list:

Remember that there are many tunes for most intervals.  Listing more   than one tune for an interval is just fine but we recommend putting the most reliable one first.