Relative Pitch Trainer
Listen to two notes and identify the interval between them. Builds your ear for harmonic relationships.
Relative Pitch Trainer
Relative Pitch is an interval ear training exercise. It plays two notes and asks you to identify the interval between them.
How to use it
- Listen to the two notes.
- Identify the interval.
- Check your answer and continue.
How people actually learn intervals
Relative pitch is the ability to identify the distance between two notes. Unlike absolute pitch, it is a learnable skill for almost anyone, and it is far more useful musically, because music is built from relationships rather than from fixed frequencies.
The standard method is song association: attach each interval to the opening of a tune you know. A perfect fifth is the start of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, a major sixth is the NBC chime, a minor third is the opening of Greensleeves. Association gets you started; with practice the interval is recognised directly and the song drops away.
When it helps
- Learning to transcribe music by ear.
- Improvising with intent rather than by muscle memory.
- Singing an interval accurately at sight.
- Building toward hearing chord qualities and progressions.
Common mistakes
- Practising only ascending intervals. Descending ones are noticeably harder and need their own work.
- Long infrequent sessions. Ear training responds to short daily practice far better.
- Chasing absolute pitch instead. Relative pitch is more useful and actually learnable in adulthood.
