The best ear training exercise is learning and playing songs…a lot…AND practicing scale exercises.
Aural comprehension courses like those offered at most schools don’t really work. What typically done is play a random note on an instrument and ask the student to identify the note. That may (or may not) help develop perfect pitch. However what musicians really need, if the goal is to be able to repeat a song after they’ve heard it, is relative pitch.
And the best way to learn that is by playing lots of songs, repeatedly. Also study the scales all types (major, minors, dominant, diminished, augmented, the modes). Never stop studying scales. After a time you’ll start to hear nuances that not only enable you to identify note and chord relationships, but you’ll also develop perfect pitch.
Just to give you a guideline (though you may do it faster), it took me 9 years to accomplish this.
Note: Be sure guitars and bass instruments are properly tuned whenever you practice.
Another note: Only exceptional students can realistically master ear training without the help of a competent teacher.
There are a wealth of resources online that you can utilize for free. I posted a few links down below, and you can find many more, simply by typing “online ear training” into any good search browser (like, say ummm Yahoo!) Hope this is everything you need. If it isn’t, feel free to give me a shout.
for ear training without classes.. i suggest sitting at a piano and just listening and memorizing intervals. learn the names if you dont know what theyre called. terms such as .. major intervals, minor intervals, an octave, a second, a fourth, a perfect 4th, diminished intervals, augmented intervals. that stuff.
August 30th, 2011 
Chris Miller 
Posted in 
Tags: 
The best ear training exercise is learning and playing songs…a lot…AND practicing scale exercises.
Aural comprehension courses like those offered at most schools don’t really work. What typically done is play a random note on an instrument and ask the student to identify the note. That may (or may not) help develop perfect pitch. However what musicians really need, if the goal is to be able to repeat a song after they’ve heard it, is relative pitch.
And the best way to learn that is by playing lots of songs, repeatedly. Also study the scales all types (major, minors, dominant, diminished, augmented, the modes). Never stop studying scales. After a time you’ll start to hear nuances that not only enable you to identify note and chord relationships, but you’ll also develop perfect pitch.
Just to give you a guideline (though you may do it faster), it took me 9 years to accomplish this.
Note: Be sure guitars and bass instruments are properly tuned whenever you practice.
Another note: Only exceptional students can realistically master ear training without the help of a competent teacher.
There are a wealth of resources online that you can utilize for free. I posted a few links down below, and you can find many more, simply by typing “online ear training” into any good search browser (like, say ummm Yahoo!) Hope this is everything you need. If it isn’t, feel free to give me a shout.
for ear training without classes.. i suggest sitting at a piano and just listening and memorizing intervals. learn the names if you dont know what theyre called. terms such as .. major intervals, minor intervals, an octave, a second, a fourth, a perfect 4th, diminished intervals, augmented intervals. that stuff.