Barbara - I never really got formal training in hearing and identifying intervals until the last two or so years, when I joined my high school choir and took a music history/theory course. Six years of piano gave me knowledge of intervals and an ability to pick out the third and the fifth above a given note.. but it wasn't until the last year or so that I have consciously thought about the intervals I was aiming for when improvising harmonies, or been able to identify intervals just by sound.

But in fairness I would have to say that the music theory course leaped me forward a lot in terms of sophistication of harmonies. Before, I usually echoed the melody a third above or fourth below. Now I'm able to experiment with even a bit of counter-melody if I know a piece well enough to anticipate.

Slán, Kiwi, who is probably rather incoherent, given that it's nearly 2:30 in the A.M. where she is now, and she's running on an adrenaline high from having just finished a mix tape for someone. Wooga!