Ear training · Advanced · 7 min
Hear It, Find It: Intervals from A
Press Hear target, then find the note by ear before you look at the diagram.
How to play it
- Press Hear target for each note. Try to find it on the neck without reading the fret number.
- Name the interval out loud before you play: major third, perfect fourth, perfect fifth, major sixth, minor seventh, octave.
- Only look at the diagram if you have missed twice.
What the coach checks: Pitch of each note. It checks what you found, not how you found it.
Tab player
Hear the line
Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.
100% is the goal tempo, 60 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal
Your practice room
Find each note
Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.
This checkpoint needs 60 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.
Exercise map · 12 targets
- 1. A2Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 5
- 2. C♯3Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 5 · fret 4
- 3. A2Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 5
- 4. D3Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 5 · fret 5
- 5. A2Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 5
- 6. E3Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 5 · fret 7
- 7. A2Bar 2 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 5
- 8. F♯3Bar 2 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 4
- 9. A2Bar 3 · beat 1 · string 6 · fret 5
- 10. G3Bar 3 · beat 2 · string 4 · fret 5
- 11. A2Bar 3 · beat 3 · string 6 · fret 5
- 12. A3Bar 3 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 7
Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.
Play one note at a time.
Tune first. Audio stays on this device.
Why this drill
Knowing what an interval sounds like on your own guitar is a big part of playing what you hear. Each pair starts on the same root, so the only new information is the distance.
Common mistakes
Finding the note by shape instead of by ear
Fix: Hear the target, sing it, then search by sound: play a note, compare, move a fret. The shapes are the reward at the end, not the method.
Confusing the fourth and the fifth
Fix: The fourth, D, sits directly across from the root on string 5 fret 5; the fifth, E, is two frets higher at fret 7. By ear the fourth sounds unresolved and the fifth sounds stable and open.
Mixing up the major sixth and minor seventh
Fix: They are one fret apart on string 4: F sharp at fret 4, G at fret 5. The minor seventh carries the pull of a dominant chord; the major sixth sounds sweeter.
Tempo plan
100% is the goal tempo, 60 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.
- Learn 45 BPM · 75%Practice mode waits for each note, so press Hear target before every interval and take the time you need.
- Build 50 BPM · 83%Play each root and interval as a pair without looking at the diagram.
- Push 55 BPM · 92%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
- Goal 60 BPM · 100%One note per beat, root and interval alternating, twelve notes without a miss. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
- Stretch 66 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.
Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.
Make it music
Intervals are the link between hearing a melody and playing it. Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star opens with a perfect fifth, Here Comes the Bride with a perfect fourth, and Somewhere Over the Rainbow with an octave. When the Saints Go Marching In opens with a major third, and My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean with a major sixth. When a tune jumps, name the jump, then find it from the note you are on.
Variation
Run it from another root. From C on string 5 fret 3, the same six intervals are E, F, G, A, B flat and C.