Ear Training : Mastering the Music Intervals

Minor second, major second. Minor third, major third. Perfect fourth. Tritone.  Perfect fifth. Minor sixth, major sixth.  Minor seventh, major seventh. Octave.  It’s one thing to know what these are, but can you recognize them on hearing? If you can’t, it’s not that hard to learn how.

One of the most important aspects of ear training is learning to identify all the different intervals.  There are many different methods and tools out there, some perhaps more effective than others depending on the individual, but the basic premise usually doesn’t change much: the student listens to different intervals until he or she can accurately distinguish them from one another.

To a novice this may seem trivial, but it’s an extremely useful skill which most professional musicians possess. In a sense, music is all about the intervals between notes. One note is played, and then another – it’s the time and space between them where the magic happens. Thus, playing and even hearing music in an effective, fully realized way requires the skills that can only be gained through ear training.

Once you’ve got the ability to identify intervals, you’ll find that even many of the more challenging aspects of music become available. If you know what intervals you’re hearing, you can play by ear: just find the first note, and since you can judge the intervals, you’ll know the rest.

Similarly, if you know intervals, then you’ll be able to recognize chords as they’re played. These skills, in turn, will make it possible to accurately transcribe music, so that you can store what you’re hearing for further reference, or share it with others.

Hearing intervals accurately is a key skill for any musician, casual or serious. You could say it’s the key to unlocking the full power of music itself. This skill is attainable through ear training. So, ear training is worth considering, for anyone.  No matter what your musical goals may be, ear training will help you accomplish them.