Ear Training and Listening
Identify what you hear and then check it.
Major or Minor
- Goal
- Hear the difference between major and minor triads.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Have C–E–G and C–E♭–G played in random order.
- Identify each chord before looking.
- Do ten trials.
- How to check it
- Your answer comes before you look at the keyboard.
- Next
- Add the diminished triad as a third choice.
Hearing Cadences
- Goal
- Tell an authentic cadence from a deceptive one.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Listen to short phrases in C major ending V–I or V–vi.
- Call each ending authentic or deceptive.
- How to check it
- Follow the bass: it falls to C for authentic and rises to A for deceptive.
- Next
- Transpose the progressions to G major.
Tracing the Bass Line
- Goal
- Hear and sing the lowest part.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Play a four-bar progression with one bass note per bar.
- Sing the bass line alone.
- How to check it
- Check direction and interval sizes against the recording.
- Next
- Write the four bass-note names.
Melodic Contour Sketch
- Goal
- Hear the shape of a melody.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Listen to a five-note melody twice.
- Draw an arrow up, down or level for each move.
- How to check it
- Get the contour right before you write any note names.
- Next
- Identify the intervals afterward.
Rhythm Echo
- Goal
- Hold a rhythm in memory and clap it back.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Listen to a two-bar rhythm at 72 bpm.
- Wait one bar.
- Clap it back.
- How to check it
- Entrances, rests and total length match the original.
- Next
- Extend to four bars.
Hearing Texture
- Goal
- Recognize monophonic, homophonic and polyphonic textures.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Listen to a solo melody.
- Listen to a melody with chords.
- Listen to two independent melodic lines.
- How to check it
- Identify each texture correctly.
- Next
- Describe the role of each layer.
Comparing Attacks
- Goal
- Hear how instruments differ at the start of a note.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Find recordings of the same pitch on piano, flute and bowed violin.
- Listen to each several times.
- How to check it
- Focus on how the sound starts and fades, not on loudness.
- Next
- Identify instruments from the first fraction of a second.
Harmonic Rhythm
- Goal
- Hear when the chords change.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Listen to eight bars of accompaniment.
- Mark every chord change.
- How to check it
- A new bass note is not always a new chord. Tell them apart.
- Next
- Estimate how many changes happen per bar.
Meter by Accent
- Goal
- Find the meter from where the strong beats fall.
- Level
- Intermediate
Steps
- Listen to unfamiliar short excerpts in 3/4, 4/4 and 6/8.
- Tap the large beats.
- How to check it
- Explain the grouping you hear instead of guessing from speed.
- Next
- Compare 3/4 and 6/8 excerpts of similar length.
Hearing a Phrase End
- Goal
- Hear what makes a phrase sound finished.
- Level
- Beginner
Steps
- Listen to a melody that stops midphrase.
- Listen to the same melody reaching a cadence.
- How to check it
- Identify the melodic or harmonic cue that creates closure.
- Next
- Sing a different ending of your own.
Other chapters: Pulse and Rhythm · Pitch and Intonation · Technique and Coordination · Phrasing and Expression · Sight-Reading · Harmony and Improvisation · Ensemble and Accompaniment · Composition and Creativity · Performance and Feedback
Sing in a comfortable octave, rest between repetitions, and stop if anything hurts.
Open the Practice Library →