What Are Intervals and How to Identify Them by Ear

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 09:00:00 +0000

Every melody you have ever hummed, every chord you have ever played, and every harmony that has ever moved you is built from one fundamental ingredient: intervals. An interval is simply the distance between two notes. Learn to hear and name intervals and you unlock the ability to figure out melodies by ear, understand why chords sound the way they do, and communicate musical ideas with precision.

What Exactly Is an Interval?

An interval measures the pitch distance between two notes. When you sing the first two notes of “Happy Birthday” — the jump from the repeated note up to the higher one — you are singing an interval (a major second, as it happens). Intervals can be melodic (two notes played one after the other) or harmonic (two notes played simultaneously).

Practice Chord Recognition with the Chord Practice Tool

Mon, 23 Feb 2026 07:06:00 +0000

Knowing which chords belong to a key is one thing. Recalling them instantly under time pressure is something else entirely. Whether you are sight-reading a lead sheet, improvising over a backing track, or composing on the fly, the speed at which you recognise and name chords makes a real difference. That is exactly what the new Chord Practice tool is designed to help with.

What the Chord Practice Tool Does

The practice tool presents diatonic chords one at a time, on a timer, and asks you to identify or play each chord before the next one appears. Think of it as flashcards for chord recognition, but with audio, a metronome, and optional MIDI keyboard input.

Ear Training on Interactive Chord Finder

What Are Intervals and How to Identify Them by Ear

What Exactly Is an Interval?

Practice Chord Recognition with the Chord Practice Tool

What the Chord Practice Tool Does