Free ear trainer

The modes

• Scale degrees. A cadence establishes the key, then a note plays and you identify which degree it is. This is the mode that transfers best to real music. Start here.
• Intervals. Two notes, name the distance. Ascending, descending, or harmonic.
• Chord quality. Major, minor, diminished, augmented, and the common sevenths.
• Chord progressions. Identify a short progression by Roman numerals.
• Pitch identification. No reference note, randomised octave and timbre. This is a genuine absolute pitch test rather than a relative one.
• Rhythm. Match or notate a short rhythmic figure.

Why the cadence matters

Most ear training tools play two notes in isolation. That trains a skill which transfers poorly, because real music never presents notes without a key. Establishing the key first means you are practising what you will actually do when transcribing or improvising: hearing a note’s function, not just the gap between two sounds.

How to practise

1. Fifteen minutes daily beats two hours weekly. Perceptual skills consolidate with frequency.
2. Sing your answer before you click it. Production and recognition are different skills, and production is the one that transfers.
3. Stay on a level until it is boring. Advancing at seventy percent accuracy builds a foundation you will have to rebuild.
4. Transcribe something real every week. No trainer replaces taking a melody down from a recording.

The reasoning behind all of that is in how to practice ear training, and the scale-degree approach is explained in solfege.

Accessibility

Fully keyboard navigable, screen-reader labelled, and playable without a mouse. Nothing about your session is stored anywhere except your own browser.