Interval ear training
Two notes, one question: how far apart are they? Choose your own set of intervals and train up, down or together.
Press Play and listen
Settings
Intervals to practise
How they are played
How the drill works
Press Play and you hear two notes. Choose the interval between them. In Settings you decide which intervals appear and whether the notes are played upwards, downwards or together; mixing directions is harder but closer to real music. A correct answer moves you straight to the next question, and after a mistake the right interval plays again so you can compare.
Shortcuts: Space or Enter plays the question again, and the number keys 1–9 pick the answers in order.
The intervals and how they sound
| Interval | Semitones | What it sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| m2 · Minor 2nd | 1 | Tense and rubbing: two neighbouring keys |
| M2 · Major 2nd | 2 | One step of a scale; plain and open |
| m3 · Minor 3rd | 3 | Soft and sad: the base of a minor chord |
| M3 · Major 3rd | 4 | Bright and happy: the base of a major chord |
| P4 · Perfect 4th | 5 | Strong and open, like a call that wants an answer |
| TT · Tritone | 6 | Restless and unstable; it wants to move |
| P5 · Perfect 5th | 7 | Hollow, strong and stable: a power chord |
| m6 · Minor 6th | 8 | Bittersweet and yearning |
| M6 · Major 6th | 9 | Warm, wide and sweet |
| m7 · Minor 7th | 10 | Bluesy and unfinished |
| M7 · Major 7th | 11 | Sharp and dreamy, almost an octave |
| P8 · Octave | 12 | The same note higher up; completely at rest |
Practice tips
Start with intervals that sound very different: the octave, the fifth and the major third. When those are easy, add the fourth, then the minor third, and leave the seconds and sevenths for later. Everyone finds the fourth and the fifth easy to confuse at first.
Listen for the character, not just the size. The major third sounds bright, the minor third soft, the tritone restless. Hum the lower note, then slide up to the higher one in your head and feel the size of the jump. Over time you will stop counting and start recognising.
Common mix-ups
The fourth and the fifth are the classic pair: both sound open and strong, but the fifth feels more settled. The minor and major sixth are often heard as thirds turned around, because they are: a sixth up is a third down to the same note an octave higher. Sevenths sound like an octave that missed: the major seventh just one half step short.
Your score
Your streak, best streak and accuracy over the last 100 answers are saved in this browser only, separately for each drill. The small line shows how your accuracy moves in blocks of ten answers. Nothing is sent to us, and the reset link wipes the score for this drill.