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Music Theory

Ear Training Games

Games to train your musical ear. What counts here is what you hear. Notes or melodies play and you have to remember and recognize them, with no microphone: you play with your finger, the mouse or the keyboard. They are free, they run in the browser and there is nothing to install.

Round board of the ear training game Memorize, with seven colored sectors for the notes C, D, E, F, G, A and B

Memorize

The board plays a sequence of notes and you repeat it in the same order. Each time you get it right, it grows by one note; at your first mistake the game ends. On Easy each note has its color and lights up; on Medium it only lights up; on Hard you only hear it.

Play Memorize
Scene from the game Track Cycling: a band musician pedals around the velodrome, with the crowd in the stands and the finish line

Track Cycling

Race the kilometer: on each of the 4 laps a melody plays and you say whether it is in a major or a minor key. The clock runs until you answer, and every mistake is a 15-second bonk.

Play Track Cycling

What these games train

Hearing a note and knowing which one it is, and remembering several in a row, is what you need for melodic dictation, for playing by ear and for learning a melody without a score. These games train it step by step:

  • Auditory memory: hold on to a longer and longer series of sounds, in the exact order.
  • Recognizing the mode: know right away whether a melody is major or minor, as in conservatory dictation.
  • Recognizing notes by their sound: on the hard levels there are no lights or colors to help, only your ear.
  • Progressing by levels: you start with visual aids (color and light) that are gradually taken away until only the sound is left.

Before you play

Turn up the volume or put on headphones: in a noisy place it is harder to tell the notes apart. These games do not use the microphone. Each game keeps its own leaderboard on your device and, if you want, a world leaderboard under your nickname.

If you would rather practice without a scoreboard, try the ear training exercises, such as Major or Minor?, recognizing the time signature or recognizing the key. If you prefer to sing, there are the singing games, and to practice with what is written on the staff, the music theory games.

Frequently Asked Questions

How are they different from the other games?
In the ear training games what matters is what you hear: notes play and you have to remember or recognize them. In the theory games you recognize or write what you see on the staff, and in the singing games you sing into the microphone.
Do I need a microphone or headphones?
No microphone: you play with your finger, the mouse or the keyboard. Headphones are not required, but they help you hear each note clearly, especially on the hard levels or in a noisy place.
Is my score saved?
Yes. Each game keeps your scores on your device. When a game ends you can also publish your result to the world leaderboard under a nickname: only the nickname, the musician and the result are published.