Music Theory and Ear Training

Improve Your Music Theory Skills

Use the following interactive exercises to help improve your music theory skills.

Note Reading

Identify the names of notes that appear on the staff.

Interval Building

Build intervals on the staff.

Interval Identification

Identify intervals on the staff.

Chord Building

Build triads and 7th chords on the staff.
Clef:

Chord Identification

Identify triads and 7th chords on the staff.
Clef:

Chord Functions (building)

This drill gives you a key and a chord function — figure out the triad or 7th chord needed, and build it on the staff. Use the advanced options to try more difficult functions: secondary dominants, borrowed chords, augmented 6th chords, and more.
Clef:

Paced Note Names

Identify the notes sliding across the staff before they disappear into oblivion! This is a very effective way to quickly learn the grand staff once you have gained a general familiarity with it.
Clef:

Rhythm Dictation

Notate rhythmic patterns based on what you hear using whole notes, half notes, quarter notes, and eighth notes, depending on difficulty level.
Clef:

Rhythm Performance

Tap out the rhythm displayed on the staff.
Clef:

Key Signature Identification

Identify the key signature that appears on the staff.
Clef:

Scale Building

Build scales on the staff.
Clef:

Piano Keys

Identify the notes on the staff by clicking the proper key on an on-screen piano keyboard.

Guitar Frets

Identify the notes on the staff by clicking the proper fret on a guitar fretboard pictured on the screen.
Clef:

String Instrument Fingerboards

Identify the notes on the staff by clicking the proper point on the fingerboard pictured on the screen.
Instrument:

Interval Ear Training

Listen to two notes in sequence, then identify the interval between them.

Chord Ear Training

Listen to a chord, then identify the type of chord that you heard.

Scale and Mode Ear Training

Listen to a scale, then identify the name of the scale that you heard.

Chord Progression Ear Training

Listen to a chord progression, then identify each chord that you heard.

Perfect Pitch Test

Listen to a single note, then identify the name of the note.

Scale Degrees (Functional) Ear Training

Listen to a short chord progression to establish a key, then a single note from that key. Identify the scale degree of the note. This is also known as “functional ear training.”

Intervals in Functional Context

This exercise combines the “Intervals” and “Scale Degrees” exercises. In this exercise, you will hear a short chord progression followed by two notes. You must identify the major scale degrees of the two notes relative to the key established by the chord progression as well as the interval between the two notes.

Melodic Dictation

Listen to a short chord progression followed by a short melody, then identify the major scale degree of each note in the melody.