Ear Training: The Secret Superpower

All amateur musicians have dreamed of the day they can sing their own melody, then translate it directly to their fingers. To the non-musician it may seem easy. Music is a form of expression and an instrument is a tool one uses to enhance their craft. Why should it be hard? But as all musicians know, the journey to obtaining that level of musical mastery is long, hard, and littered with crunchy notes. Ear training is a fantastic way to bridge the gap between your mind and your fingers.

What is it?

Ear training is the musical skill of identifying music theory concepts (rhythm, chords, intervals) by hearing them. And as implied by the name, mastery of ear training is a life-long ambition, and training takes place every day.

Why do ear training?

• Playing by ear

• Practicing ear training helps musicians develop skills that allow them to listen to a melody and play it back note for note. 

• Skills that involve playing by ear include:

• Jaming

• Improvising

• Learning new songs

• Writing music

• Transcribing

• Deeper listening skills

• People competent in ear training will be able to identify chord changes, song structure, and voice leading. They can view the piece in smaller pieces and observe how the pieces work together to form the whole texture. One can observe theory concepts in action.

• Playing with confidence

• Ear training aids audiation, or the ability to hear music in your mind

• People with more developed ear training skills can play with more confidence on pieces they are more unfamiliar with

How to Get Started:

It is beneficial to practice ear training every day. This doesn’t have to be a focused or organized practice, but listening deeper to all music will help you see what you hear.

For example if I was practicing interval (the measure of the distance between two pitches) recognition, I would:

1. Pick an interval

2. Play the interval

3. Sing the interval

4. Have someone quiz you on that interval or try to find the interval in context

Once you have mastered that interval, learn a new one and repeat the process, or practice a chord, rhythm, or scale type.

A Helpful Resource:

There are several online ear training programs that are very helpful. One of these is an app called Earpeggio. It is free and available for mobile devices which allows for practicing ear training wherever you want to. Earpeggio has ear training quizzes for intervals, chords, scales, chord progressions, and rhythms. The app will play a sequence and the listener will select what type of sequence they heard from a selection of choices.

Conclusion:

According to “Why Ear Training Might Matter More Than You Think” by Noa Kageyama, Phd, “Pianist Arthur Rubinstein once famously learned Franck’s Symphonic Variations while riding on a train to his next concert, by practicing the piece on his lap.” Through practicing and honing this skill, you too can experience growth in your musicianship and confidence on your instrument. A little practice every day is very productive for building your ear, even if your practice is short.