Free On-line Ear Training

[Jim Tozier]

I've been having fun at a site called Good Ear, practicing my recognition of chromatic intervals. It's a site that will play intervals (simple, diatonic, or chromatic) either ascending, descending, or together in a "quiz" format that keeps score for you so you can see your progress.

They also help train you to recognize chord types, scales, etc.

Right now I'm trying to get "perfect" at ascending chromatic intervals. I'm currently able to recognize them around 95% of the time.

If you're interested in giving it a shot, I've found it helpful to use familiar songs as references for intervals. Here are the ones I've collected (from various internet sites, and a few of my own):

minor 2nd:
ascending--Jaws (the "here comes the shark" tones)
descending--Joy to the World

Major 2nd:
ascending--Frere Jacques (Are You Sleeping?); Strangers in the Night
descending--Three Blind Mice; Mary Had a Little Lamb

minor 3rd:
ascending--Greensleeves; O Canada; This Old Man
descending--Hey Jude

Major 3rd:
ascending--Kum Ba Ya; On Top of Old Smokey
descending--Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Perfect 4th:
ascending--Amazing Grace; Here Comes the Bride; Smurfs theme
descending--Old McDon-ald

aug 4th/dim 5th (tritone):
ascending--Intro to Purple Haze; Maria (from West Side Story)

Perfect 5th:
ascending--Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star; Star Wars theme; the "oh-wee-oh" chant of the witch's guards in The Wizard of Oz; and my favorite, Black and White by Three Dog Night
descending--Feelings

minor 6th:
ascending--second half of the opening phrase from The Entertainer (theme from The Sting)

Major 6th:
ascending--NBC chimes; My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean; It Came Upon a Midnight Clear [note: not my version, which begins which a Perfect 5th instead ]

minor 7th:
ascending--original Star Trek theme

Major 7th:
ascending--climax from the Superman theme; 1st and 3rd notes in Robert Plant's wail from Led Zeppelin's Immigrant Song

Octave:
ascending--Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Obviously, there are some descending intervals missing . . . haven't found anything useful for them.

Add other examples if you'd like . . . I've found that the "classic" examples aren't always the ones that work best for me. Like for the P5--it's the Three Dog Night tune that jumps out at me, not Twinkle, Twinkle . . .

Have fun!

[Jim Tozier]

I think I've got it down now . . . just got 50 in a row correct.

Now I'll move on to descending intervals . . .

[patriot]

descending min 6th use the opening melody notes to the tune "love Story".

[koaguitarman]

Thanks for the link, Jim.
Russ

[mapletrees]

Why on Earth has this thread not gotten more attention????!?!?!?

If you put a pepperoni pizza in the oven....

....would you not be alarmed if it started smelling like a tuna noodle casserole?


If you put a tuna noodle casserole in the oven, would you expect it to smell like a Whopper at Burger King???

EAR TRAINING!

[Jim Tozier]

Originally posted by mapletrees
Why on Earth has this thread not gotten more attention????!?!?!?

Hiya, Mapletrees . . .

Perhaps it's because it's in the section that gets the least attention (playing . . . go figure). Maybe I should post it in Open Mic with a religious or political title.

Yes . . . I've definitely be alarmed if my pepperoni pizza started smelling like tuna casserole. But, I don't like tuna, so I'm not sure that others would be as concerned.

I'm also not sure (as usual) what the heck you're saying, but it is definitely entertaining.

[brooster]

Sounds great! At least I think it sounds great.

[Midnight Shadow]

Thanks for the site. Pretty neat. Now I need to spend some time there working on ear training more.
Midnight Shadow