ear training
techniquesEER TRAY-ning
The systematic development of the ability to identify musical elements by sound alone.
Ear training is the practice of developing the ability to recognise pitches, intervals, chords, scales, rhythms, and melodies by ear, without looking at notation. It is a cornerstone of musical education at every level. Core ear training skills include: interval recognition (identifying the distance between two notes), chord quality recognition (distinguishing major, minor, diminished, and augmented chords), scale identification, melodic dictation (writing down a melody after hearing it), rhythmic dictation, and harmonic dictation (identifying chord progressions). Solfège — singing scale degrees using syllables (do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti) — is one of the primary tools for ear training. Relative pitch (judging intervals and relationships) is more commonly developed than absolute pitch (identifying notes without reference). Regular ear training practice transforms how a musician listens, performs, and improvises.