Ear Training on the Go: An Aural Skills Buffet

The ultimate ear training buffet, featuring 30 short exercises covering a variety of topics, including scale degrees, intervals, scales, modes, arpeggios, chords, inversions, and chord progressions.

Download a Google Sheet checklist to track your progress here. This checklist also includes hyperlinks to my YouTube videos sorted into categories if you need further practice on a particular concept.

Transcript

Exercise 2: Unstable Scale Degrees

Exercise 3: All Scale Degrees

Exercise 4: Diatonic Ascending Intervals, Fixed Root

Exercise 5: Diatonic Ascending Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 6: Diatonic Descending Intervals, Fixed Root

Exercise 7: Diatonic Descending Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 8: Diatonic Harmonic Intervals, Fixed Root

Exercise 9: Diatonic Harmonic Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 10: Chromatic Ascending Intervals, Fixed Root

Exercise 11: Chromatic Ascending Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 12: Chromatic Descending Intervals, Fixed Root

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Scale degrees. I will play a major scale to establish the key, followed by a sustained tone. Decide whether the sustained tone is the tonic, scale degree one, the mediant, scale degree three, or the dominant, which is scale degree five. Answer Tonic. Answer Tonic. Answer Tonic Answer Mediant. Answer Dominant. Exercise complete. Unstable scale degrees. I'll play a major scale to establish the key, followed by a sustained tone. Please identify the tone as the supertonic, which is scale degree two, the subdominant, which is scale degree four, the submediant, which is scale degree six, or the leading tone, which is scale degree seven. Exercise complete. All scale degrees. I will play a major scale to establish the key followed by a sustained tone. Please identify that tone as any of the seven degrees of the major scale. One is the tonic, two is the supertonic, three is the mediant, four is the subdominant, five is the dominant, six is the submediant, and seven is the leading tone. Answer Tonic Answer Submediant. Exercise complete. Diatonic ascending intervals fixed root. I will play two ascending notes starting on middle C. Identify the interval as a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or an octave. Answer Octave Answer Perfect Fourth. Answer Major Seventh. Answer Perfect Fifth Answer Major Sixth Answer Major Second Answer Octave. Answer Major Third Answer Octive Exercise Complete Diatonic Ascending Intervals, no fixed route. I will play two notes. Identify the interval as a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or an octave. Each interval will start on a random pitch. Answer Major third. Answer Major Sixth. Answer Major Third. Answer Perfect Fourth. Answer Perfect Fifth Answer. Answer Major Sixth. Exercise complete. Diatonic descending intervals. I will play two notes ending on the middle C. Identify the interval as a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or an octave. Answer Perfect Fifth Answer Major Seventh. Answer Major Third. Answer Major Sixth Answer Perfect Fourth Answer Major Sixth. Answer Major Third. Answer Octave. Answer Major Seventh. Answer Major Second. Answer Major Seventh. Answer Perfect Fourth. Answer Major Second. Answer Octave. Answer. Perfect fifth. Exercise complete. Diatonic descending intervals. No fixed route. I'm going to play two notes starting on a random pitch. Identify the interval as a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or an octave. Answer Major third. Answer Octave Answer Major Sixth. Answer. Answer. Perfect fourth. Answer. Major seventh Answer. Major second. Answer. Perfect fourth. Answer. Perfect fifth. Answer. Perfect fifth. Exercise complete. Diatonic harmonic intervals. Fixed root. I will play a harmonic interval with the bottom note as middle C. Identify the interval as a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or octave. Answer, perfect fifth. Answer Perfect Fourth. Answer Major Sixth. Exercise complete. Diatonic Harmonic Intervals. No fixed root. I will play a harmonic interval starting on a random note. You decide if that interval is a major second, major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, major seventh, or octave. Answer Major Sixth Answer Octave. Answer Major Third Answer Perfect Fifth Answer Major Second Exercise Complete Chromatic Ascending Intervals Fixed Root. I will play two notes starting on middle C. Identify the interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Answer Perfect fourth Answer Minor Second Answer Major Seventh. Answer Minor Second Answer Perfect Fifth. Answer Octave. Answer Major Second Answer Perfect Fourth Answer Major Sixth. Answer Minor Third. Answer Major Third. Answer Minor Sixth Answer Minor Seventh. Exercise complete. Chromatic ascending intervals. No fixed route. I will play two notes starting on a random pitch. Identify the interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Answer major second. Exercise complete. Chromatic descending intervals, fixed root. I will play two descending notes ending on middle C. Identify the interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Answer. Answer. Answer. Major seventh. Answer. Perfect fifth. Answer. Minor third.

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Answer. Octave.

Exercise 13: Chromatic Descending Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 14: Chromatic Harmonic Intervals, Fixed Root

Exercise 15: Chromatic Harmonic Intervals, No Fixed Root

Exercise 16: Major and Minor Scales

Exercise 17: Major Modes

Exercise 18: Minor and Diminished Modes

Exercise 19: All Modes

Exercise 20: Triads/Arpeggios

Exercise 21: Triads/Chords

Exercise 22: Triads/Inversions

Exercise 23: 7th Chord Arpeggios

Exercise 24: 7th Chords

Exercise 25: 7th Chord Inversions

Exercise 26: Cadences

Exercise 27: Chord Progressions - I, IV, and V

Exercise 28: Chord Progressions - I, IV, V, and vi

Exercise 29: Chord Progressions - ii and iii

Exercise 30: Diatonic Chord Progressions

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Answer. Minor second. Answer. Minor seventh. Answer. Perfect fourth. Answer. Triton. Answer. Major third. And Answer. Perfect fourth. And Answer. Tritone. Answer. Minor sixth. Answer. Major sixth. Exercise complete. Chromatic descending intervals. No fixed root. I will play two descending notes beginning on a random pitch. Identify the interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Answer. Answer. Major third. Answer. Perfect fifth. Answer. Answer. Answer. Triton. Answer. Major sixth. Answer. Major seventh. Answer. Minor second. Answer. Major sixth Answer. Major Seventh. Answer. Tritone. Answer. Perfect fourth. Answer. Major third. Exercise complete. Chromatic Harmonic Intervals. Fixed root. I will play a harmonic interval with the bottom note as middle C. Identify the interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Octave. Answer major third. Answer major second. Answer tritone. Answer. Minor seventh. Answer. Minor sixth. Answer. Major third. Answer. Minor sixth. Answer. Perfect fourth. Answer. Major second. Answer minor second. Answer. Perfect fifth. Exercise complete. Chromatic harmonic intervals. No fixed root. I will play a harmonic interval starting on a random pitch. Identify that interval as a minor second, major second, minor third, major third, perfect fourth, tritone, perfect fifth, minor sixth, major sixth, minor seventh, major seventh, or octave. Tritone. Exercise complete. Major and minor scales. I will play a scale two times. Identify that scale as a major scale, natural minor scale, harmonic minor scale, or melodic minor scale. In classical music, the melodic minor scale is sometimes played differently, going backwards and forwards, but I'm taking the more modern or jazz approach here and playing it the same in both directions. Answer Natural Minor. Answer. Answer. Answer. Answer. Natural Minor. Answer? Answer. Melodic Biner. Answer. Major. Answer. Natural Minor. Answer. Harmonic Minor. Answer. Harmonic Minor. Answer. Melodic Minor. Answer. Major. Answer. Major. Answer. Melodic minor. Exercise complete. Major modes. I will play one of the three modes of the major scale, where the first scale degree can be harmonized as a major chord. Identify the mode as the Ionian mode, Lydian mode, or mixed Lydian mode. Answer. Answer. Mix a Lydian. Answer. Lydian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Mixolidian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Mixolydian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Lydian. Answer Mix of Lydian. Answer. Ionian. Exercise complete. Minor and diminished modes. I will play a mode where the first scale degree can be harmonized as either a minor chord or diminished chord. Identify the mode as the Dorian mode, Phrygian mode, Alien Mode, or Locrian mode. Answer. Answer. Aeolian. Answer? Locrian. Answer Phrygian. Answer Dorian. Answer. Phrygian. Answer. Dorian. Answer. Locorian. Answer? Dorian. Answer? Locrian. Answer. Aeolian. Answer. Phrygian. Answer Phrygian. Exercise complete All Modes. I will play one of the seven modes of the major scale. Identify that mode as the Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixed Lydian, Aolian, or Locrian mode. Answer Locrian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Aeolian. Answer. Dorian. Answer. Answer. Mixolydian. Answer. Mixolydian. Answer. Lydian. Answer. Ionian. Answer. Locrian. Answer. Lydian. Answer. Aeolian. Answer. Phrygian. Answer. Lydian. Answer. Phrygian. Exercise complete. Triads slash arpeggios. I will play the individual notes of a chord. Identify that arpeggio as major, minor, augmented, or diminished. Answer. Major. Answer. Diminished. Answer? Diminished. Answer? Major. Answer? Minor. Answer. Augmented. Answer. Minor. Answer. Augmented. Answer? Minor. Answer. Major. Minor. Diminished. Exercise complete. Triad slash chords. I will play a root position triad starting on a random pitch. Identify that triad as a major chord, minor chord, augmented chord, or diminished chord. Answer Minor. Answer diminished. Answer major. Answer diminished. Answer. Answer. It will be augmented. Answer. Minor. Answer. Major. Answer. Major. Answer. Augmented. Answer. Diminished. Answer. Minor. Answer. Minor. Answer. Diminished. Answer. Major. Exercise complete. Triads slash inversions. I will play a triad starting on a random pitch. Identify the triad as major or minor, as well as which inversion it is in. These chords might be in root position spelled one three five, first inversion spelled three five one, or second inversion spelled five one three. Answer Minor second inversion. Answer Minor First Inversion. Answer Major First Inversion. Answer Major root position. Answer Major Second Inversion. Answer. Minor root position. Answer. Minor first inversion. Answer Minor root position. Answer Major First Inversion. Answer. Major root position. Exercise complete. Seventh chord arpagios. I will play the individual notes of a seventh chord. Identify that arpagio as a major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh, half diminished seventh, or fully diminished seventh. Answer Dominant seventh Earth Earth do ye earth as sir. Half diminished seventh em a answer. Answer Minor seventh. Answer Dominant Seventh. Answer Minor Seventh. Answer Minor Seventh. Answer Major Seventh. Exercise complete. Seventh chords. I will play a seventh chord. Identify that seventh chord as a major seventh, minor seventh, dominant seventh, fully diminished a seventh, or half diminished a seventh. Answer? Major seventh. Answer? Minor seventh answer. Fully diminished seventh. Answer the dominant seventh. Answer Dominant Seventh. Answer Major Seventh. Answer. Half diminished a seventh. Answer. Fully diminished a seventh. Answer? Minor seventh. Answer. Half diminish the seventh. Answer. Dominant seventh. Answer. Dominant seventh. Answer. Dominant seventh. Answer. Fully diminished seventh. Answer. Major seventh. Exercise complete. Seventh chord inversions. I will play a seventh chord. Identify that seventh chord as a major seventh, minor seventh, or dominant seventh chord. Also identify if the seventh chord is in root position, first inversion, second inversion, or third inversion. Answer Minor Seventh, first inversion. Answer Major Seventh, Second Inversion. Answer, dominant seventh, third inversion. Answer. Answer. Minor seventh, third inversion. Answer. Answer. Major seventh root position. Answer. Major seventh, first inversion. Answer. Minor seventh read position. Answer. Dominant seventh, second inversion. Answer. Dominant seventh root position. Exercise complete. Cadences. I will play a series of chords in C major. Please identify those chords as a perfect cadence, plagal cadence, deceptive cadence, or half cadence. Perfect cadence. The chords were C G C or one, five, one cadence. The chords were C, F, C, or one, four, one Deceptive cadence. The chords were C, G, A minor, or one, five, minor six perfect cadence. The chords were C G C or One Five One Answer Deceptive Cadence. The chords were C G A flat major seven or one five flat six major seven answer. Deceptive cadence. The chords were C G D minor seven or one, five, two minor seven. Or one, five, five, seven answer. Perfect cadence. The chords were C G seven C or one five seven one. Answer. The chords were C G seven G seven again. Or one five seven five seven. Exercise complete. Chord progressions using the one, four, and five chords. I will play a progression of four chords in the key of C major. Identify each of those chords as a one, four, or five chord. Answer. The chords were one, four, five, four. Or C F G Fercise complete. Chord progressions using the one, four, five, and six chords. I will play a chord progression in C major of four chords. Identify each of those chords as a one, four, five, or six chord. Chords were one, six, four, five, or C A minor, F G. Answer. The chords were six, four, one, five, or A minor, F C Girl. Answer. The chords were one, five, six, four, or C G A minor F. Answer. The chords were four, five, and one, six, or F, G, C, and A minor. Exercise complete. Chord progressions using the two and the three chords. I will play a series of four chords in the key of a C major. Identify each of these chords using Roman numerals and letter names. Each of these chord progressions contain a minor two or three chord somewhere. Or C E minor, A minor, F Answer. The chords were one, two, five, one, or C D minor, G C but I learned how to do it. Answer. The chords were four, five, three, and six. Or F, G, E minor, and A minor. Exercise complete. Diatonic chord progressions. I will play a series of four chords consisting of any of the diatonic chords in C major. The chords were one, six, two, five, or C A minor, D minor, General. The chords were four, five, one, six, or F G C A minor. Answer. The chords were one, three, six, five, or C, E minor, A minor, G. Answer. The chords were six, two, five, one, or A minor, D minor, G, C. Answer. The chords were one, two, six, five, or C, D minor, A minor, or G. Exercise complete.