Hearing, not guessing
Ear training teaches you to name what you hear. It is the link between sound and theory: when you can hear a major third, you can write it, play it and sing it. The trick is to compare, not to guess: sing the notes back, find the song it reminds you of, then answer.
Intervals
An interval is the distance between two notes. Each one has a sound and, for most, a song to remember it by. Press the buttons to hear them.
C → D♭ Minor 2nd · 1 half step
| Interval | Half steps | Going up it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Minor 2nd | 1 | the Jaws theme |
| Major 2nd | 2 | the first two notes of "Do-Re-Mi" (Do, a deer) |
| Minor 3rd | 3 | "Smoke on the Water" |
| Major 3rd | 4 | "When the Saints Go Marching In" |
| Perfect 4th | 5 | "Here Comes the Bride" |
| Tritone | 6 | the Simpsons theme |
| Perfect 5th | 7 | "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" |
| Minor 6th | 8 | "Love Story" (Where do I begin?) |
| Major 6th | 9 | "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean" |
| Minor 7th | 10 | "Somewhere" from West Side Story |
| Major 7th | 11 | the chorus of "Take On Me" |
| Octave | 12 | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" |
Chords
Chord qualities have a colour. Listen for the middle note (the third) first: major is bright, minor is darker. Then the top note: diminished is tight and tense, augmented is wide and floating.
Scales and modes
Hear a scale ascend and listen to the 3rd, 6th and 7th notes: they decide the mood. A major scale is bright; natural minor is darker; Dorian is minor with a bright 6th; Mixolydian is major with a flat 7th, bluesy and relaxed; Lydian floats; Phrygian is dark and Spanish.
Scale degrees and solfège
Hear a chord set the key, then a single note. Where does it sit? In movable-do solfège, the tonic is always Do, whatever the key, so each degree has a fixed syllable and a fixed feeling: Do is home, Sol is open and strong, Ti leans up to Do.
| Degree | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major | Do | Re | Mi | Fa | Sol | La | Ti |
| Minor | Do | Re | Me | Fa | Sol | Le | Te |
Progressions
Listen to the bass and the sense of motion. Does it move down a fifth, step by step, or leap? A progression is easiest to name when you hear where it feels like home and where it leans away.
How to practise
- Warm-up: a few big, distinct sounds. Sing each one back before you answer.
- Working set: more intervals, more chords, scale degrees and simple progressions.
- Heavy lift: everything, including descending and harmonic intervals, modes and jazz progressions.
Use the focus setting to train one thing at a time, and keep sessions short. See the ear training programs for a step-by-step route, and learn the theory behind the sounds with the interval builder and chord types guide.
Frequently asked questions
What is ear training?
Practice that links the sounds of music to their names: recognising intervals, chords, scales and progressions by ear. It is how musicians learn to play what they hear and write down what they imagine.
Can anyone learn to hear intervals and chords?
Yes. Ear training is a skill, not a gift. Short regular practice helps more than long sessions, and most people improve noticeably within a few weeks.
What is the best way to recognise intervals?
Attach each interval to a song you know, such as a perfect 5th for "Twinkle, Twinkle", and sing the two notes back before you answer. Singing makes the distance part of your body, not just your memory.
How do I tell major from minor by ear?
Major sounds bright and settled; minor sounds darker and more serious. Listen to the middle note of the chord: only that note differs between a major and a minor triad.
What is solfège?
Names for the notes of the scale: Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Ti. In movable-do solfège, Do is always the tonic of the key, so the same melody has the same syllables in every key.
How long should I practise ear training each day?
Five minutes a day is enough. Use headphones, play the sound, sing it back, then answer, and move to harder questions only once the easy ones feel automatic.
What is the difference between melodic and harmonic intervals?
A melodic interval is two notes played one after the other; a harmonic interval is two notes played together. Harmonic intervals are harder to name at first, so the heavy lift level adds them.