Start Ear Training

With hundreds of Easy Ear Training articles, tutorials and other resources to choose from it can be hard to know just where to start.

We have something for every musician, whether pop, rock, folk, electronic or classical, new to music or a seasoned pro, experienced with ear training or not yet sure what it even is…

Here are some recommendations to help you dive in – whatever stage you’ve reached in your ear training journey so far!

1: New to music—or unsure of your ears

If you haven’t studied music before it’s important to start by making sure your ears are in good shape. Take the Tone Deaf Test and put to rest any doubts you might have about being able to become a great musician!

You can take the tone deafness test online or download the dedicated Tone Deaf Test app for iPhone and iPad.

→ Test Your Ears

2: Learn about ear training

Once you’ve checked your ears, it’s time to get up to speed with ear training.

Probably the biggest mistake we see musicians make is skipping this step!

It’s essential that you take the time to understand what exactly ear training is and what it can do for you, how to adapt it to your musical life, and how to plan for long term success.

If instead you simply pick an app or exercises and dive straight in, you’re likely to get bored and frustrated before too long.

Start your ear training right with our free Beginners Ear Training Course.

→ Start Your Course

3: Plan your training

Now that you have a good grasp of how ear training will fit into your musical life, it’s time to plan your training.

Again: don’t skip this stage! If you don’t set clear goals and decide how you’re going to reach them, your ear training practice will be aimless and ineffective.

There are several important steps to take here:

1. Know your destination
2. Know where you are now
3. Plan your route
4. Choose your transport

You can learn more about each of these steps in How To Plan Your Training.

Oh, and make sure the goals you set are MAGIC!

→ Plan Your Training

4: Find resources to support your training

With clear goals and a route planned out, you’ll need to find good teaching resources which support your ear training progress. As discussed in the links from Stage 3 above, you should choose resources which best suit your style of learning.

We offer a range of ear training resources covering a wide variety of topics, including audio-enhanced eBooks, training albums, mobile apps, and exercise MP3s.

→ Find Resources

5: Starting a new topic

As you progress in your ear training you’ll find the time comes to explore new topics and expand your ears further. Perhaps you’ve started out with intervals and now it’s time for chords. Or perhaps your audio frequency ear training has led you naturally to wonder more about audio effects and mixing.

If you need help identifying the next topic to pursue in your training, or you’ve made a choice but don’t know how to start, try the Ear Expansion course. It has 10 modules, each on a different topic, and it’s a great way to explore something new.

→ Expand Your Ears

At Another Stage?

If none of the stages above seem to fit where you are or you have a specific question or problem, check out our Frequently Asked Questions section which answers almost 100 common questions around musical ear training, categorised by topic.

→ Check the FAQs

Still need a hand? You can get help directly from the Easy Ear Training team and other ear training musicians in our ear training forums.