Interval ear training

What is interval ear training?

An interval is the distance between two notes, and every melody is a chain of intervals. Recognising them by ear is what lets musicians work out a tune without sheet music, sing a phrase in tune the first time, write down a solo they have just heard, and answer the interval questions in graded aural tests.

How to practise intervals

Start with a small set of intervals that sound very different, such as the perfect 4th, perfect 5th and octave, and only add more once you are getting them right most of the time. Then bring in the major and minor 3rds and 6ths, and finally the 2nds, 7ths and the tritone.

Many students link each interval to a tune they already know: a perfect 4th opens “Here Comes the Bride”, a perfect 5th is the leap at the start of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Replay each question as often as you like, sing the two notes back, and tap any answer after you respond to hear it and compare.

From simple to compound intervals

The exercise builds up to all 24 intervals, up to two octaves, including the compound intervals heard in jazz: ♭9, ♯9, ♯11 and ♭13. You can hear intervals ascending, descending, or played together as a harmonic interval, which is harder and closer to how intervals sound inside chords.

Ten minutes a day

Short, regular sessions train the ear far better than long, occasional ones. Your progress is saved on your own device, so you can pick up where you left off, and the Pathway and Daily workout on the main ear training page keep your practice varied.

Frequently asked questions