How to Train Your Ear!
- Ana and Amanda
- Nov 12
- 2 min read
I wanted to share some ear training exercises and tips I find super helpful! There's also practice worksheet at the bottom of this post.
Why ear training matters!
Whether you’re improvising, composing, playing by ear, or just listening in a more musical way, ear training is one of the best investments you can make. It builds your connection between what you hear and what you play, it deepens your musical intuition, and it gives you freedom.
As a woodwind player and jazz educator, I especially benefit from strong ears: I can pick up on phrasing, anticipate chord changes, and respond in the moment with more clarity and confidence.
Three foundational steps
Make your ears active, not passive.
Don’t just listen — listen with intention. When you hear a phrase, pause and ask: “What happened? What direction did the line move (up or down?) What is the tonality - major, minor, something else?
When you play something: hear how it sounds in your mind first, then reproduce.
Develop interval & chord recognition.
Start by focusing on individual pitches, then intervals (the distance between two notes). For example: “did that leap up a 4th, down a 3rd, up a 7th?”
Then extend into chord hearing: major/minor, 7ths, extensions. Ask: “Is this chord stable or moving? Where’s it going next?”
Train the ear & the voice together.
It’s not just about hearing, but also singing/playing back. When you're listening to a musical phrase or certain interval, pause the playback and try to sing it, then play it. This is is something the great jazz educator Jamey Aebersold emphasizes! We need to hear and sing BEFORE we play.
When you are able to sing (and you don't have to be a great singer), then play it on your instrument. This reinforces what you heard and internalizes it.
A sample practice routine
Here’s a simple structure you can adopt for ear training in your daily practice!
Warm-up (5 minutes): Play a simple scale or melody you know well. Then close your eyes and sing it without your instrument. Hear the shape.
Interval drill (10 minutes): Pick a reference pitch (say C). Use an app or keyboard (or even one note on your horn) and play a variety of intervals: major 2nd, minor 3rd, perfect 4th, etc. After each, say the interval name or sing it back.
Chord recognition (5–10 minutes): Have a backing track or piano play chords. Try to identify major/minor/7th/extension, and predict the next one. Then check your answer.
Melody-playback (10 minutes): Choose a short phrase (from a jazz tune, piece of band or solo music, etc). Listen to it twice, then pause and try to reproduce it by ear: first singing, then playing it. Focus on hearing where it goes, not just finger-memory.
Reflection (2 minutes): Ask: What challenged me? Which interval felt fuzzy? Where did I hesitate or struggle? Make a note for next time.
Here is the downloadable PDF practice worksheet on ear training below, enjoy!
Musically,
Ana
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