Ear training exercises for beginners are singing the notes you play, identifying intervals by ear, and recognising chords by their sound. Start with the major scale, singing each note as you play it, and then learn the intervals, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and octave, by their sound, one at a time.
What are ear training exercises for beginners?
Ear training exercises for beginners are singing the notes you play, identifying intervals by ear, and recognising chords by their sound. Start with the major scale, singing each note as you play it, and then learn the intervals, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and octave, by their sound, one at a time, and then learn the chords, major, minor, and dominant 7th, by their sound, one at a time. The ear training is the skill of hearing music, and it is learned by listening, and by singing, and by playing, and the three together make the ear. The ear is trained by singing, because singing forces the brain to hear the note before it is played, and the hearing is the skill. A player who sings the note, and then plays it, and checks whether they match, is training the ear, because the ear is comparing the sung note with the played note, and the comparison is the learning. The intervals are learned by their sound, and each interval has a character: the major 2nd is a step, the major 3rd is bright, the perfect 5th is open, and the octave is the same note, higher, and the character is what the ear learns. The C major scale and the A minor scale are the scales most beginners first train their ear on, and the note frequency calculator shows the pitch of any note.
How ear training works
Ear training works because the brain learns to recognise patterns in sound, and the patterns are the intervals and the chords, and the recognition becomes a habit, so the ear hears the interval, and knows what it is, without thinking. The training starts with the major scale, singing each note as it is played, so the ear learns the notes of the scale, and the intervals between them, and the scale becomes a map, and the ear can find any note on the map. The intervals are learned one at a time, by playing two notes, and singing them, and naming the interval, until the interval is recognised by its sound, without the notes being named. The chords are learned the same way, by playing a chord, and singing its notes, and naming the chord, until the chord is recognised by its sound, without the notes being named. A major chord sounds bright, because the 3rd is major, and a minor chord sounds sad, because the 3rd is minor, and a dominant 7th chord sounds tense, because the 7th is flat, and the character is what the ear learns. The G major guitar chord and the C major guitar chord are the chords most beginners first train their ear on, and the key of C major is the key most ear training is done in.
Worked example — learning the perfect 5th by ear. Play C, on the 5th string at the 3rd fret, and then play G, on the 6th string at the 3rd fret, and listen: the interval is a perfect 5th, seven semitones, and the sound is open and stable, like the first two notes of a well-known melody. Sing the two notes, C and G, and name the interval, perfect 5th, and play it again, and sing it again, until the sound is recognised, without the notes being named. Now play a different perfect 5th, D and A, on the 4th and 5th strings, and listen: the sound is the same, open and stable, because the interval is the same, even though the notes are different, and the ear has learned the perfect 5th, by its sound. The interval calculator shows the interval between any two notes.
How to practise ear training
Practise ear training in short, daily sessions, singing the notes you play, and naming the intervals and chords by their sound, so the ear learns to recognise them without thinking.
- Sing the C major scale as you play it, one note at a time, and listen for each note to match the sung note, and fix it if it does not.
- Play two notes, and name the interval by its sound, starting with the perfect 5th, the major 3rd, and the octave, one at a time, until each is recognised.
- Play a chord, and name it by its sound, major, minor, or dominant 7th, and check your answer with the chord finder.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major and sing the root of each chord as you play it, so the ear learns the chords in context.
- Use the interval calculator to check your answers, and repeat the exercises until you can name any interval by its sound.
Common mistakes
- Trying to learn all the intervals at once — The ear learns one interval at a time, and trying to learn them all at once will overwhelm it, and none of them will stick. Learn one interval, the perfect 5th, until it is recognised, and then learn the next, the major 3rd, and the intervals will build on each other.
- Not singing the notes — Singing forces the brain to hear the note before it is played, and the hearing is the skill, and a player who does not sing will not train the ear, because the ear is not being used. Sing the notes, even if the singing is not perfect, and the ear will learn.
- Practising ear training without an instrument — The ear needs the instrument, to check the sung note against the played note, and the comparison is the learning. Practise with the instrument, singing and playing together, so the ear can compare, and the learning happens.
Quick reference
This table shows the four intervals every beginner should learn by ear, with the semitones and the sound for each one, so you can see the intervals side by side and learn them one at a time. The perfect 5th is open, the major 3rd is bright, the octave is the same note, higher, and the major 2nd is a step.
| Interval | Semitones | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Major 2nd | 2 | A step, close and moving |
| Major 3rd | 4 | Bright, happy |
| Perfect 5th | 7 | Open and stable |
| Octave | 12 | The same note, higher |
Use the table to practise ear training: pick an interval, play it, sing it, and name it by its sound, until it is recognised without the notes being named, and then learn the next interval. When you can name any interval by its sound, you have trained your ear, and the music will be heard, not just played.
Frequently asked questions
What are ear training exercises for beginners?
Singing the notes you play, identifying intervals by ear, and recognising chords by their sound. Start with the major scale, singing each note as you play it, and then learn the intervals, major 2nd, major 3rd, perfect 5th, and octave, by their sound, one at a time.
How long does it take to train your ear?
A few months, with daily practice, because the ear learns slowly, one interval at a time, and the recognition becomes a habit over weeks. A few minutes a day, every day, will train the ear faster than a long session once a week.
Do I need perfect pitch to train my ear?
No. Perfect pitch is the ability to name a note without a reference, and it is rare, but relative pitch, the ability to name an interval or a chord by its sound, can be learned by anyone, with practice, and it is the skill that matters for playing music.
Should I sing when I practice ear training?
Yes. Singing forces the brain to hear the note before it is played, and the hearing is the skill, and a player who sings will train the ear faster than a player who only listens, because the singing is the active part of the learning.
Can I train my ear without an instrument?
You can, by singing and by listening, but the instrument helps, because it gives the reference, and the ear can check the sung note against the played note, and the comparison is the learning. Practise with the instrument, when you can, and sing when you cannot.