Ear training teaches you to recognise what you hear: single notes, the distance between two notes, scales, keys and chords. It is the skill behind singing in tune, playing by ear, transcribing songs and tuning an instrument without a tuner. This hub collects every free ear training tool and guide on Pitch Detector, in the order that works best, with a simple four-week plan you can follow online in about 15 minutes a day.
Quick answer: start with pitch matching (hear a note, sing it back), then learn intervals, then scales and keys, then chords and progressions. Fifteen focused minutes a day beats one long session a week, and most people hear a clear difference within four weeks.
Start here · free ear training game
Pitch Matching Game
The game plays a note, you sing or hum it back, and it scores how close you were in cents. The best first exercise for every singer and the foundation for all other ear training.
Play the pitch matching game →The Right Order to Train Your Ear
- Pitch matching: hear a note and reproduce it within about 20 cents.
- Fine pitch: hear when a note is slightly sharp or flat, and correct it.
- Intervals: name the distance between two notes, from a minor second to an octave.
- Scales and keys: hear major versus minor and find the home note of a song.
- Chords and progressions: tell major, minor and seventh chords apart and hear common progressions such as I–V–vi–IV.
Each level builds on the one before, so move on only when the current one feels easy most of the time.
Free Ear Training Tools
Every tool runs in your browser with no sign-up; the singing tools use your microphone and give instant feedback.
- Interval Ear Training
Online interval quiz from minor second to octave, with reference songs.
- Perfect Pitch Test
Name random notes by ear: do you have absolute pitch?
- Tone Deaf Test
Same or different melodies: find out if you are really tone deaf.
- Pitch Accuracy Test
A fine-pitch ear test: see how many cents sharp or flat you sing.
- Scale Finder
Find scales from notes and hear how each mode sounds.
- Song Key Finder
Detect the key of a song, then check your own guess.
- Chord Progression Analyzer
Type chords and see their Roman numerals and function.
- Chord Progression Finder
Find the chords in a recording to check your transcription.
- Note Finder
Identify any note you hum or play, for melody dictation.
- Singing Note Detector
See which note you are singing while you do solfege and scales.
4-Week Ear Training Plan
About 15 minutes a day, five or six days a week. Keep a short log of your scores so you can see the progress.
| Week | Focus | Daily routine (≈15 min) | Goal by the end of the week |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pitch matching | 5 min warm-up hums, 10 min pitch matching game (single notes) | Most notes within ±20 cents |
| 2 | Fine pitch + first intervals | 5 min pitch accuracy test, 10 min intervals: octave, fifth, fourth, major third | Name those four intervals 8 times out of 10 |
| 3 | All intervals + scales | 10 min interval quiz (all 12), 5 min major vs minor and mode listening | Tell major from minor scales every time |
| 4 | Keys and chords | 5 min find the key of a favourite song, 10 min chord qualities and I–IV–V–vi progressions | Hear the home note and the main chords of a simple song |
Ear Training Guides
Step-by-step articles that explain the method and give you more exercises.
- Ear Training Guide
The complete programme: relative vs perfect pitch, solfege and five levels.
- Pitch Matching Games to Train Your Ear
Game formats that make daily pitch practice stick.
- How to Improve Pitch Accuracy
Why singers miss notes and seven exercises to fix it.
- Why Singers Go Sharp or Flat
Diagnose your pattern of pitch errors.
- Warm-Ups to Stay on Pitch
Vocal warm-ups that train hearing and tuning together.
- Pitch Accuracy Testing with Recordings
Check your intonation from recordings of your singing.
How Hearing and Intonation Work
A little theory makes the exercises easier: why some intervals sound pure, how the brain turns frequency into pitch, and how small a “cent” really is.
- What Is Intonation in Music?
Playing and singing in tune, explained simply.
- Intonation and Temperament
Equal temperament vs just intonation and why they differ.
- Science of Pitch Perception
How the ear and brain hear pitch.
- What Are Cents?
The unit that ear training scores use.
- All Types of Music Scales
Major, minor, modes and more for scale listening.
- How to Find the Key of a Song
Find the key by ear, step by step.
Relative Pitch vs Perfect Pitch
Relative pitch is the ability to hear notes in relation to each other, for example to recognise a perfect fifth or sing a melody from any starting note. It can be learned at any age, and it is what every exercise on this page trains. Perfect (absolute) pitch, naming a note with no reference at all, is rare and mostly develops in early childhood. For musicians, strong relative pitch is far more useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you train your ear online for free?
Yes. The pitch matching game, interval quiz and pitch accuracy test above are free, run in the browser and need no account.
How long does ear training take?
Most people notice better pitch matching within two to four weeks of daily practice. Reliable interval and chord recognition usually takes a few months.
Can a tone-deaf person learn to sing in tune?
True tone deafness (amusia) is rare, affecting a few percent of people. Most people who think they are tone-deaf simply have untrained pitch matching, which improves quickly with feedback.
Is ear training useful for instrumentalists?
Yes. It helps you tune by ear, play by ear, improvise and hear intonation problems on fretless instruments such as violin and cello.
More hubs: measure your voice in the vocal range guide, find standard tunings in instrument tuning, browse all free music tools or every article in the knowledge hub.