Track Cycling: Major or Minor Ear Training Game

Major or minor? Answer fast and ride the kilometer. On each lap of the velodrome a piano melody plays and you have to say whether it is in a major or a minor key. The clock runs from the moment the melody starts until you answer, so the sooner you recognize the mode, the better your time; but every mistake is a bonk (cycling slang for suddenly running out of energy) that adds 15 seconds. There are 4 laps, like the kilometer time trial on the track (UK: kilometre). You do not need a microphone or to install anything, and you can play alone or in a group, taking turns.

How to play

Say how many players there are, type your name and choose your musician. Turn up the volume or put on headphones.
Listen. On each lap you first hear an A4, which serves as your reference, and then an 8-measure melody (UK: bars).
Answer Major or Minor as soon as you are sure (with the keyboard, M for Major and N for Minor). The buttons unlock at the end of the first measure: before that you cannot answer.
If you are unsure, let it keep playing or listen again (up to 3 times). The clock does not stop.
Ride all 4 laps. At the end you see your time lap by lap, with the key of each melody.

How scoring works

The lowest time wins. The time of each lap is how long you take to answer from the moment the melody starts, and each mistake adds a 15-second bonk. Your result is the sum of the 4 laps. On the world leaderboard your best time counts.

Why such a heavy penalty? Because with only two possible answers, someone answering blindly is right half the time. With 15 seconds per mistake, guessing is on average slower than listening to two or three measures and answering correctly.

Why the kilometer

In track cycling, the kilometer time trial is 4 laps of a 250-meter velodrome, each rider racing only against the clock. The game borrows its format: 4 laps, one melody per lap, and the lowest time wins. The bonks are the same as for any cyclist: you suddenly run out of strength and lose a lot of time.

What this game is for

Telling by ear whether a melody is in a major or a minor key is one of the first questions in dictation and in conservatory ear-training tests. What decides it is the 3rd above the tonic: a major 3rd in a major key and a minor 3rd in a minor key. The melodies start with the tonic arpeggio, so the first measure already gives away the answer; with practice you recognize it right away, which is exactly what the clock rewards. If you would rather practice without pressure, there is the Major or Minor? exercise, which shows the written score of each melody, and to review the theory, the difference between the major scale and the minor scale.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you play Track Cycling?

You ride the kilometer: 4 laps of the velodrome. On each lap an A4 sounds and then an 8-measure piano melody, and you have to say whether it is in a major or minor key. You can answer as soon as you know, from the end of the first measure, without waiting for the melody to finish.

How is the time counted?

The clock for each lap starts when the melody starts and stops when you answer. Each mistake is a bonk that adds 15 seconds. Your result is the sum of the 4 laps with their bonks, and the lowest time wins, as in a time trial.

Why does a mistake cost 15 seconds?

Because with only two possible answers, someone answering blindly is right half the time. With 15 seconds per mistake, guessing is on average slower than listening to two or three measures and getting it right: listening pays off.

Can I listen to the melody again?

Yes, up to 3 times per lap, as in the exercise. But the clock does not stop while it plays again, so listening again also costs time.

Can I play in a group, for example in class?

Yes. Say how many players there are and type each person’s name. Each player rides their own kilometer with new melodies, so nobody has heard them before another player, and the lowest time wins.

Piano audio: Salamander Grand Piano samples by Alexander Holm, licensed under CC BY 3.0.