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Interval Ear Trainer
Learn to recognise musical intervals by ear, with a score.
Free tools that run in your browser. Nothing you type, open or create is uploaded to NerdBible or anyone else.
Choose what to practise
Press Play a question, listen, then pick your answer.
Each question uses a random starting note between C3 and C5, so you learn the sound of the interval rather than a fixed pitch. Notes are synthesised in your browser. Your score is kept only on this page and resets when you leave.
How to use it
- Pick Intervals or Chord quality, and open Choose what to practise to select which ones to include and how they are played.
- Press Play a question and listen. Press Replay as often as you like.
- Choose your answer. The tool tells you if you were right, plays the answer again, and keeps your score and streak.
Questions
Where should a beginner start?
Start with a few intervals that sound very different, such as the major third, perfect fifth and octave, played ascending. Add more once you reach about 80 percent, then try descending and harmonic.
What is a harmonic interval?
Both notes sound together instead of one after the other. It is harder at first, because you hear the blend rather than the step between the notes.
Is there a trick to recognise intervals?
Many musicians link each interval to the start of a well known tune: a perfect fourth opens Here Comes the Bride, a perfect fifth the Star Wars theme, and an octave Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Pick tunes you know well.
How do I hear chord quality?
Major chords sound bright and settled, minor chords darker. Diminished chords sound tense and narrow, augmented chords unresolved and dreamy. Listen to the middle note against the root.
About this tool
About the ear trainer
Recognising intervals by ear helps you play by ear, transcribe songs, sing in tune and understand what you hear. This trainer plays a question, you name what you heard, and it tells you straight away whether you were right.
Two exercises
- Intervals: the distance between two notes, from a minor second to an octave, played ascending, descending or together.
- Chord quality: major, minor, diminished, augmented and more.
Open Choose what to practise to pick which ones to include and how they are played. Each question starts on a random note between C3 and C5, so you learn the sound of the interval rather than one fixed pitch. Press Replay as often as you like.
A sensible way to start
Begin with a few intervals that sound very different, such as the major third, perfect fifth and octave, played ascending. Add more once you reach about 80 percent, then try descending and harmonic intervals, where both notes sound together.
Many musicians link each interval to the start of a well known tune: a perfect fourth opens Here Comes the Bride, a perfect fifth the Star Wars theme, an octave Somewhere Over the Rainbow. For chords, major sounds bright and settled, minor darker, diminished tense and augmented unresolved.
Notes are synthesised in your browser. Your score and streak are kept only on this page and reset when you leave.
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