Ear Training Links

This list was created and is maintained by Alisdair MacRae Birch. If there are dead links or changes needed or you wish to submit a new site (with reciprocal link) please email me at:

Essential Tools

Functional Ear Trainer
Alain Benbassat's developed this freeware program. To quote from Alain's site "The user can select a key and the computer will play a cadence to clearly define the particular key, followed by a random note. The user must then guess the note within this harmonic context. With a week or two of practice, it will improve your musical ear a lot". Alain asked me for input and to help test the program during its development. The ear training concepts or theory that the program is built on have been part of my ear training teaching. I highly recommend it. This is where you should start.

Farley's PocketTones PT-15 Chromatic Tuner

Generates all 12 tones, fits on a key chain, has a volume control, great for practicing intervals, melodies and note recognition anytime, anyplace. Get it from Sheetmusicplus or MusiciansFriend

Kratt Master Key Pitch Pipe C to C

13 hand-tuned, special bronze reeds with patented tone chambers, precision tuned and double-checked to A-440, the full chromatic scale. Proper note selection is assured as the scale is arranged in sequence and clearly marked by embossed notations on both top and bottom covers.

Ear Training Software

Music Software for Ear training
Douglas Spangler's site has one of the best survey's and non-commercial guides to Ear Training Software. The pages grew out of his Master's Thesis in Music Theory and is not intended as an endorsement of any particular ear-training program. Highly Recommended.

Improvisor
Another great software package which focuses on training you for improvisation The interface is very simple and allows you to focus on your practice without any interruptions. Highly Recommended. Demo Available.

Earope
A very thorough and comprehensive software package that provides excellent training. Highly Recommended. Demo Available.

Ear Master Pro
A nice package, but particularly good for Guitarists as it has a visual fret-board and a guitar orientated way of thinking. Demo Available.

Music Goals By Ear & Eye.
A simple but very effective approach to a good basic understanding of your instrument and the ear, all with a goal based approach. Demo Available.

Ibis Play It By Ear
This was the first computer based ear training program I used. It was released originally on MSDOS and then converted to Windows, to which I subsequently upgraded. The software is now published by Alfred Music Publishing and the DOS demo is still available from their site. A very good no frills package.

Ibis Rhythm Ace
This was the first Rhythm notation package I used. Like Play it by Ear it was originally released on MSDOS and is still available. Probably one of the best and easiest to use no frills rhythm software packages.

Knowledge Building Activities
Dr. Gilbert Trythall. Chord ID, Pitch ID, Spell ID Course. Simple but very effective "no nonsense" approach. Highly Recommended.

Ars Nova's Practica Musica
Marketed as a complete music theory/ear training tutor for both Macintosh and Windows computers, Practica Musica, is one of the most widely used music college and university music training packages.

David Lucas Burge Relative Pitch Course
David's Course provides a very nice approach to learning intervals and instantly to recognize chords. It is expensive but a nice progressive approach.

John Mark Piper's Ear Training Paper
A Direct and Logical Path. Highly recommended paper on Ear Training.