Ear training
Listen, recognise, improve: intervals, chords, scales and scale degrees. Items you miss come back more often. Shortcuts: numbers to answer, Space to replay, Enter for the next question.
How to train your ear
- Intervals: start with a few very different intervals (major third, fifth, octave), then add the others. Each answer recalls a song that starts with that interval.
- Chords: major (bright), minor (dark), diminished (tense), augmented (unstable), then seventh chords. Turn on inversions once root positions are easy.
- Scales and modes: listen for each mode's colour: Lydian's raised fourth, Dorian's major sixth, Phrygian's minor second…
- Scale degrees: a I–IV–V–I cadence sets the key, then a note is played: say which degree it is. This is the basis of playing by ear.
Frequently asked questions
How long should I practise?
A few minutes a day beats one long weekly session. Aim for 80% before adding new items.
Are my results saved?
Yes, in your browser only. “Reset” clears the statistics of the current exercise.
See also: scales and chords on the fretboard and the metronome.
A four-week plan
- Week 1, contrasting intervals: major third, perfect fifth and octave, ascending. Ten minutes a day is enough. Move on once you score above 80%.
- Week 2, fill in the scale: add the major second, perfect fourth and major sixth, then the minor third. Alternate ascending and descending.
- Week 3, chords: major, minor, diminished and augmented, arpeggiated first, then block chords. Then add the remaining intervals (seconds, sevenths, tritone).
- Week 4, scale degrees and modes: identify a note after a I–IV–V–I cadence, then tell major, natural minor and Dorian apart. Turn on chord inversions.
Items you miss come back more often: the tool automatically focuses your practice on weak spots.
Song references for intervals
- Minor second: the Jaws theme.
- Major second: Happy Birthday (“Hap-py”… “birth-day”).
- Minor third: the Smoke on the Water riff.
- Major third: Oh When the Saints.
- Perfect fourth: Here Comes the Bride.
- Tritone: Maria from West Side Story.
- Perfect fifth: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.
- Major sixth: My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean.
- Octave: Somewhere over the Rainbow.
Songs help at first; with practice you recognise the interval's “colour” directly, without recalling the tune.
Tips
- Sing the answer before clicking: your voice fixes the interval in memory far better than listening alone.
- Switch sounds (piano, guitar, organ): some intervals are easier on one instrument, and the goal is to recognise them everywhere.
- Play back the right answer and yours after a mistake: comparing them is the fastest way to fix a confusion (fourth vs fifth, sixth vs seventh…).
- Use the keyboard: number keys to answer, Space to replay, Enter to continue, so you get through many questions quickly.
Why train your ear?
Good relative pitch lets you work out songs by ear, sing in tune, improvise, tune faster and follow a band better. It is also part of music theory exams. To put it into practice on an instrument, see scales and chords on the fretboard.
Guide written and checked by Erwan Hautot · updated 3 November 2026.