Ear training
Ear training: intervals and chords
Hear two notes and name the distance between them, or hear a chord and name its type. A few minutes a day trains the ear that lets you play by ear.
Press Play to hear the first one.
Intervals, and a song for each
The quickest way to learn an interval is to tie it to the start of a tune you know.
| Half steps | Interval | Remember it by | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minor 2nd | Für Elise (E–D♯), going down | |
| 2 | Major 2nd | Happy Birthday (“-py birth-”) | |
| 3 | Minor 3rd | Greensleeves (the first two notes) | |
| 4 | Major 3rd | When the Saints (“Oh when”) | |
| 5 | Perfect 4th | Amazing Grace (“A-maz-”) | |
| 6 | Tritone | restless, unresolved | |
| 7 | Perfect 5th | Twinkle Twinkle (“Twin-kle, twin-kle”) | |
| 8 | Minor 6th | The Entertainer (the main tune's leap from E up to C) | |
| 9 | Major 6th | My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean (“My Bon-”) | |
| 10 | Minor 7th | the 7th of a blues chord | |
| 11 | Major 7th | a half step below the octave | |
| 12 | Octave | the same note, higher |
Can you name a note on its own, with no reference? Try the perfect pitch test.
Training your ear? Train your hands too. Ivory listens to you play and tells you what's off: a note that's missing, a hand that lands late, a chord that's uneven. Then it shows you how it should go.
Questions people ask
What is ear training?
Practice at recognising what you hear: the distance between two notes (intervals), the kind of chord, or a rhythm. It's what lets musicians play by ear and work out songs.
How do I learn to recognise intervals?
Link each interval to the start of a song you know (a perfect 5th is the start of Twinkle Twinkle), then practise a few minutes a day, starting with a small set: 3rds, the 4th, the 5th and the octave.
How do you tell major and minor chords apart by ear?
Major chords sound bright and settled, minor chords darker and sadder. Diminished chords sound tense, augmented chords dreamy and unresolved. Compare them one after another.