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Ear Training - Pitch Recognition

Ear Training is the development of the active and passive capability to relate to music aurally. This includes the ability to recognize melodic and harmonic intervals, chords, chord progressions, rhythm, melody, and harmony.

Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Authors(s): Curt Sheller
Category: Music Instrument: Any Subjects(s): Theory • Songwriting • Ear
photo by Louis Martin
Page Updated:
12 October 2025
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Ear Training - Pitch Recognition

Ear Training is the development of the active and passive capability to relate to music aurally. This includes the ability to recognize melodic and harmonic intervals, chords, chord progressions, rhythm, melody, and harmony.

Functional Pitch Recognition
Functional Pitch Recognition involves identifying the role of a single pitch in the context of a tonic . Once a tonic has been established, each subsequent pitch may be classified without direct reference to accompanying pitches. For example, once the tonic G has been established, listeners may recognize that the pitch D as the dominant or perfect fifth in the key of G. No reference to any other pitch is required to establish this fact. This is also called Relative Pitch and in most situations preferred than Perfect Pitch when one can instantly name a pitch isolated and not need of a reference tonic.
Many musicians use relative pitch to identify, understand, and appreciate the roles and meanings of pitches within a key. To this end, scale-degree numbers or Solmization can be used for this purpose.
Solmization a.k.a. solfège ( do , re , mi , etc.) can be quite helpful. Using such systems, pitches with identical functions (the keynote or tonic, for example) are associated with identical labels ( 1 or do , for example).
Solmization / solfège The seven syllables normally used for this practice in English-speaking countries are: do , re , mi , fa , sol , la , and ti (with sharpened notes: di , ri , fi , si , li and flattened notes: te , le , se , le , ra ).
Fixed do solfège
Fixed do solfège - In the fixed do system, accidentals do not affect the syllables used. For example, C, C♯, and C♭, as well as C double sharp and C double flat are all sung with the syllable "do", For more information, history and visit the Wikipedia page for Solfège
Ear Training is the development of the active and passive capability to relate to music aurally. This includes the ability to recognize melodic and harmonic intervals, chords, chords progressions, rhythm, melody and harmony. This is a skill by which musicians learn to identify, solely by hearing, pitches, intervals, melody, chords, rhythms, and other basic elements of music. The application of this skill is analogous to taking dictation in written/spoken language. Ear training may be contrasted with sight-singing, which is analogous to reading aloud in language. Ear-training is typically a component of formal musical training.
Relative Pitch — The term relative pitch may denote:
  • The distance of a musical note from a set point of reference, e.g. three octaves above middle C
  • A musician's ability to identify the intervals between given tones, regardless of their relation to concert pitch (A = 440Hz)
  • The skill used by singers to correctly sing a melody, following musical notation, by pitching each note in the melody according to its distance from the previous note. Alternatively, the same skill which allows someone to hear a melody for the first time and name the notes relative to some known starting pitch.
(wikiwand); Ear Training
Playing by Ear
Before talking about playing by ear, one needs to understand what is commonly called ear training. As the WikipediA definition for Ear Training mentioned, ear training has an active and passive roll.
Passive Ear Training
PASSIVE EAR TRAINING is the ability to recognize and name intervals, chords, chord progressions, melodic sequences, rhythm, etc... An example of passive ear training would be if someone played the first two notes of the song "Here Comes the Bride" and you can recognize them as an interval of a perfect fourth. You might not know the actual pitches, that would be perfect pitch, the ability to identify or re-create a given musical note without the benefit of an external reference.
The Intervals
Intervals
When learning to recognize intervals, familiar songs that you know are a great reference source. Think of Happy Birthday, with both a Perfect Fourth in the first phrase and a Perfect Fifth in the second phrase. Both using the same lyrics: Happy birthday to you.
Unison
This is one of the easiest intervals to hear, actually not an interval as both notes are the same and should sound identical. That and the octave are somewhat easy.
Unison: i.e., C then same C again
Ascending Intervals
Ascending Intervals
After mastering the Unison interval, which was most likely pretty easy to hear it's on the the slightly more challenging intervals.
I personally struggled with identifying intervals – I could hear them, it was just identifying them. I started with just a few ascending intervals: octave, perfect fourth and perfect fifth.
Minor Second
Minor Second: i.e., C to D♭
  • Theme from Jaws (movie)
  • Isn't She Lovely (Stevie Wonder)
  • Pink Panther Theme • Actually chromatic approach noted to a minor triad, based in the Tonic of the key. First two notes of the triad are approached chromatically ascending and the last one descending.
Major Second
Major Second: i.e., C to D
    • Frere Jacques
    • Do A Dear
    • Silent Night
    • First two notes of a major scale.
Minor Third
Minor Third: i.e., C to E♭
  • Smoke on the Water
  • Brahms' Lullaby
  • First two notes of a Blues scale
  • Greensleeves
  • Georgia On My Mind
Major Third
Major Third: i.e., C to E
  • Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder) – Major Triad Root Third Fifth
  • Michael Row Your Boat Ashore
  • When the Saints Go Marching In
  • Kum By Ya
  • Ob-la-di Ob-la-da (The Beatles)
  • Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Perfect Fourth
Perfect Fourth: i.e., C to D
  • Here Comes the Bride
  • Oh Christmas Tree
  • The Look of Love
  • Amazing Grace
  • Auld Lang Syne
  • Love Me Tender
  • Summer Nights (Bass Line)
Tritone, Augmented Fourth/Diminished Fifth
Tritone (♯4 or ♭5): i.e., C to F♯/G♭
  • The Simp – sons
  • Ma ri a, from West SStory
  • Meet George Jet son, from The Jetsons
Perfect Fifth
Perfect Fifth: i.e., C to G
Minor Sixth
Minor Sixth: i.e., C to A♭
  • Black Orpheus
  • Theme From Love Story
  • Scott Joplin's The Entertainer (Main theme after the intro)
  • In My Life (guitar intro)
Major Sixth
Major Sixth: i.e., C to A
Minor Seventh
Minor Seventh: i.e., C to Bb♭
  • Theme from Star Trek
  • Somewhere (from West Side Story)
Major Seventh
Major Seventh: i.e., C to B
  • Don’t Know Why – Norah Jones, “I waited ’till I saw the sun”
Octave
Octave: i.e., C to c`
  • Blue Bossa
  • Singing In The Rain
  • Hi Ho Hi Ho
  • Some where Over the Rainbow (then descends a minor second to the major seventh of the scale
  • Let It Snow (Oh, the weather …)
  • The Christmas Song
  • Bali Ha'i" from South Pacific
Minor Ninth
Not a lot of examples of melodies. However, the flat ninth is used a lot in jazz improvisation.
Descending Intervals
Descending Intervals
Minor Second
Minor Second: i.e., C down to B
  • Fur Elise
  • Joy to the World (Major Scale Descending)
  • Jingle Bell Rock
  • Stella by Starlight
Major Second
Major Second: i.e., C down to B♭
Minor Third
Minor Third: i.e., C down to A
Major Third
Major Third: i.e., C down to A♭
  • Major Third: i.e., C down to Ab
    • Giant Steps • Descends a major seventh chord from the major seventh of the chord to the root of the chord. Basically a root inversion of the chord descending.
    • Summertime
Perfect Fourth
Perfect Fourth: i.e., C down to G
  • Old MacDonald Had a Farm
  • Frere Jacques ("Ding Dang Dong...")
  • When Johnny Comes Marching Home
  • I've Been Working on the Railroad
Tritone, Augmented Fourth/Diminished Fifth
Tritone: i.e., C down to F♯/G♭
  • The Simp - sons
  • Ma ri a, from West Side Story
Perfect Fifth
Perfect Fifth: i.e., C down to F
  • Feelings
  • It Don't Mean a Thing (Duke Ellington)
  • Have You Meet Miss Jones
  • Seven Steps to Heaven
  • Flintstones Theme (Flint stones meet the ...)
Minor Sixth
Minor Sixth: i.e., C down to E
  • Love Story Theme
Major Sixth
Major Sixth: i.e., C down to E♭
Major Seventh
Major Seventh: i.e., C down to D♭
  • I love you (Cole Porter)
Minor Seventh
Minor Seventh: i.e., C down to D
  • Watermelon Man
Octave
Octave: i.e., C` down to C
  • Hi Ho Hi Ho
  • Some where Over the Rainbow
  • Crazy (2nd line "I'm crazy…"
  • Willow Weep For Me
Ascending Scales
Major Pentatonic: — C D E G A C'
    • My Girl guitar lick
    • I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Descending Scales
Full Diatonic Major Scale
    • Joy to the World — C B A G F E D C
Ascending Arpeggios, Chords, Scales
Ascending Arpeggios
Major
  • Major 7th chord:
    • Jingle, Jingle, Jingle The first four notes are a major seventh chord, the 1 3 5 7 of the major scale of key of the song.
Chords
Scales
Active Ear Training
ACTIVE EAR TRAINING is the ability to reproduce intervals, chords, chord progressions, melodic sequences, rhythm, etc... An example of active ear training would be to play the first two notes of the song "Here Comes the Bride" anywhere on your instrument or sing that interval (in tune).
NOTE: Getting your fingers and or voice to follow you ear is one of the harder things to do. This is technique and takes a lot of work. All, well worth the effort.
Where the Ear Fits In – (Ear, Hands, Mind)
The hands are the weakest link in the Ear to Hands to Mind combination that is used to play music (by ear) and the hands need to be trained to follow the ear. It is the hands training that takes the longest.
The ear can remember stuff after ONE time hearing it. The Mind two or three and the hands to develop the muscle memory take about a few hundred times. How else can we recognize melodies after hear it once?
When practicing you should be doing stuff to train the hands to follow the ear. That is the sequence for developing this connection:
Mind to Hands to Ear
The Mind tells the Hands what to play and the Ear listens. DON'T practice by ear. Have a plan and organization of the material you would like to cover.
Practicing your scales in intervals of 2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, 7ths, etc... Some more common than other for melodies. Practice both ascending and descending. I would go with 2nds, 3rds, and 6ths first.
Ear to Hands to Mind
The Ear tells the Hands what play and you can involve the Mind if needed or wanted after the fact.
The hands will not do anything they have not done before.
So to be able to play by ear you either:
  • Hunt and Peck enough to train your fingers to follow the ear – or –
  • Have a plan to train the ear and hands to work together, thus making the hands to the ear connection quicker. Creating a plan is where a teacher can really help. And, if you've had bad experiences with teachers don't give up on them just try another teacher, good teachers are out there. Typically jazz musicians will be the best teachers in the playing by ear department. Remember playing by ear does not mean practicing by ear. Practicing and learning are different then performing.
Here is an example of learning a specific interval. The first two notes of Here Comes the Bride are a perfect fourth. If using C as the first note then F is the perfect fourth above C. Try putting any finger on any note of the ukulele and then play the second, Here Comes… correctly the first time. If you can't, the fingers haven't been trained enough to Play by Ear", to obey the hands for the particular sound of that interval. This is then where the mind comes and inner ear come in to play and and intellectually knows where the interval of a perfect fourth is and trains the hands to follow e ear.
Same goes for chords, chord progressions, melodies, rhythms. The process starts with the mind telling hands what to do and the ear taking it all in.
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