Free online interval ear trainer

Recognising intervals by ear is the foundation of playing by ear, transcribing, and improvising. This trainer plays two notes and asks you to name the interval between them, so you build that recognition one rep at a time.

Here’s how it works, what an interval is, and how to get better fast.

How to use it

Press play to hear an interval — two notes, one after the other. Pick the interval you think it was from the buttons. You’ll see right away whether you were right, the next interval plays, and your score keeps track. Use replay as often as you need.

What an interval is

An interval is the distance between two notes, named by its size and quality — a major third, a perfect fifth, an octave. The same interval sounds the same wherever it starts, which is exactly why ear training works: you’re learning a sound, not a pair of specific notes.

How to improve

• Anchor each interval to a familiar song — a perfect fourth opens “Here Comes the Bride”, a perfect fifth opens “Twinkle, Twinkle”, an octave opens “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”.
• Start with a few intervals you can already tell apart, then add harder ones as those get automatic.
• Practise little and often; ear recognition builds with repetition.

FAQ

What is ear training? Practising to recognise musical sounds — intervals, chords, melodies — by ear, without seeing the notes.

Which intervals does it test? Everything from a minor second up to a perfect octave.

Do I need perfect pitch? No. This trains relative pitch — hearing the distance between notes — which anyone can develop with practice.