Note recognition

How the drill works

Press Play and you hear one note from the octave that starts on middle C. Tap the key you think it is. Start with the seven white keys, and use the reference button to hear C first: then you are training relative pitch, measuring from a known note, which is how most musicians work. Switch to all twelve notes when the white keys feel easy. The keyboard answer pad has the same layout as a real piano, so the drill also teaches you where each note lives.

Shortcuts: Space or Enter plays the question again, and the number keys 1–9 pick the answers in order.

Practice tips

Play the reference C, sing it, then sing up the scale until you reach the note you heard. It is slow at first, but every time you do it the scale gets more firmly fixed in your memory, and the jumps get shorter.

Some notes are easier landmarks than others: C as home, G as the fifth, E as the bright third. Learn those three first and judge the others from them. Do not worry if you cannot name a note without the reference; very few people can, and you do not need it to play well.

Common mix-ups

Neighbouring notes are the usual mix-up, especially E and F or B and C, which are only a half step apart with no black key between them. Notes an octave apart also sound alike, which is why the drill keeps every note within a single octave.

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.