Write it, play it, recall it
Connect a brief written observation with keyboard practice and a small memory check.
Write a tiny prediction
Choose C major and write its three note names, C, E and G, on paper. Add the formula 1–3–5 and the distances 0, 4 and 7 semitones from C. This is a deliberately small writing task. You do not need to copy a complete theory chapter before going to the keyboard; the written prediction gives you something concrete to verify.
Check one relationship
Open the interval explorer, keep C4 as the starting note and choose Major third, four semitones. The second note is E4. Then choose Perfect fifth, seven semitones, to find G4. Compare those two results with your written prediction. The diagram and sound are different views of the same relationships, not separate facts to memorize independently.
Put the note names into action
Open C major guided practice and play C4, E4 and G4 in order. Read the names aloud if that helps you connect the written list with the keys. When the sequence is correct, turn off Guide lights and repeat. If you make an error, check the specific degree concerned rather than restarting an unrelated scale or increasing the tempo.
Make one controlled edit
Change the formula to 1–flat 3–5. Predict that E will become E-flat while C and G stay unchanged, then compare C major with C minor on the reference page. Write the new middle note under the old one. This short edit connects the accidental, the semitone movement and the audible change without needing a different root or a longer passage.
Recall after a brief break
Look away from your paper for a moment. Name the major triad notes, then the minor triad notes, before checking. Use a three-note Listen & repeat challenge if you want a separate listening task. The browser score describes that response; it does not independently measure long-term memory or the quality of your written explanation.
Keep the next task small
Finish with three short lines: what I predicted, what I heard, and what I will try next. The practice planner can divide your next session into four timed tasks, and its text download preserves the checkboxes you marked. Keep your own note of the musical observation as well. A completed checklist is a record of activity, not proof that a topic has been mastered.
Try it at the keyboard
How does the written formula change when C major becomes C minor?Check your answer +
1–3–5 becomes 1–flat 3–5. E moves down to E-flat; the root C and fifth G stay unchanged.
Original Artistry Piano guide. Suggest a correction.