Guitar Interval Ear Training | Online Game
Train your ear to recognize intervals directly on the guitar fretboard
Ear training is one of the most important skills a guitarist can develop, yet it's often overlooked in favor of scales, speed and technique. Good aural skills let you understand the language of music and translate the sounds in your head directly to the fretboard.
This page gives you everything you need to start: an interactive ear training game designed specifically for guitar, a clear explanation of how musical intervals work, and a fun reference list of heavy metal songs to help you memorize each interval by ear.
Interval Ear Training Game
This tool plays a short sequence of notes starting from a root note on the fretboard. Your goal is to identify each interval by ear and click the correct fret. The root note is shown in color and labeled as 1; all other frets display their tone relative to the root (b3, 5, b7, etc.), so you can build a real connection between what you hear and the interval's position on the neck.
The highlighted strings tell you where to look, listen carefully, then find the notes!
Benefits of Ear Training
Regular interval ear training will sharpen your musical instinct: your mind becomes better connected to your fingers and you naturally find the note you want to play.
With practice, you learn to know the sound of a fret before you play it, an invaluable skill for improvisation and jamming.
Understanding Musical Intervals
An interval is simply the difference in pitch between two notes. In Western music we use 12 intervals within one octave, they correspond to the 12 frets along a single guitar string.
When two notes are played one after the other, we call it a melodic interval. When played at the same time, it's a harmonic interval.
Starting from the note C, the 12 semitones are: C, C#, D, D#, E, F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B, then back to C one octave higher.
The 12 Musical Intervals
To practice ear training effectively, you need to know the name and sound of each interval:
| Notes | Semitones | Interval Name |
|---|---|---|
| C → C | 0 | Unison |
| C → C# | 1 | Minor Second |
| C → D | 2 | Major Second |
| C → D# | 3 | Minor Third |
| C → E | 4 | Major Third |
| C → F | 5 | Perfect Fourth |
| C → F# | 6 | Diminished Fifth (Tritone) |
| C → G | 7 | Perfect Fifth |
| C → G# | 8 | Minor Sixth |
| C → A | 9 | Major Sixth |
| C → A# | 10 | Minor Seventh |
| C → B | 11 | Major Seventh |
| C → C | 12 | Perfect Octave |
Memorize Intervals with Songs
A classic trick for internalizing intervals is to associate each one with the opening notes of a song you already know. For example, the Star Wars theme begins with a perfect fifth, and Verdi's Aida opens with a perfect fourth.
Once you memorize the geometry of these intervals on the fretboard and their sound, you can literally hear your guitar in your head without holding it. During improvisation, this means you know what a fret sounds like before you play it. It takes practice, but the payoff is huge.
Heavy Metal Interval Reference
Below is a list of heavy metal (and a few classic rock) songs whose opening notes match each interval. Use them as ear training anchors, whenever you hear an interval, recall the matching riff!
-
Unison (0 semitones)
Every good metal rhythm contains repeated notes on the same pitch. -
Minor Second (1 semitone)
"Symphony of Destruction" – Megadeth, "Sad But True" – Metallica -
Major Second (2 semitones)
"Breaking the Law" – Judas Priest, "Child in Time" – Deep Purple, "Snowblind" – Black Sabbath -
Minor Third (3 semitones)
"Smoke on the Water" – Deep Purple, "Cowboys from Hell" – Pantera, "Jump in the Fire" – Metallica -
Major Third (4 semitones)
"The Number of The Beast" – Iron Maiden, "Holy Smoke" – Iron Maiden -
Perfect Fourth (5 semitones)
"Fear of The Dark" – Iron Maiden (the intro: a descending perfect fifth followed by an ascending perfect fourth) -
Diminished Fifth / Tritone (6 semitones)
The quintessential heavy metal interval! "Black Sabbath" – Black Sabbath, "Chaos AD" – Sepultura , or pick any Slayer song, it probably contains one. -
Perfect Fifth (7 semitones)
"Solitude" – Candlemass (the distorted guitar riff), "Mother Russia" – Iron Maiden (the polka-style riff) -
Minor Sixth (8 semitones)
"Children of The Grave" – Black Sabbath (bass line to guitar, technically a major third inversion if the guitar starts an octave up) -
Major Sixth (9 semitones)
Not metal, but memorable: "What's the New Mary Jane" – Beatles, or the opening of Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2 (used in the "Bad Santa" soundtrack). -
Minor Seventh (10 semitones)
The Star Trek theme, or the descending interval in the chorus of "Lady Jane" – Rolling Stones. -
Major Seventh (11 semitones)
"Take On Me" – A-Ha, or the guitar arpeggio in "Ave Maria" – In Extremo. -
Perfect Octave (12 semitones)
"The Immigrant Song" – Led Zeppelin
Practice On The Go
Want to train your ear away on the go? Download our free ear training MP3 packs. Load them on your phone, listen to each interval, and try to name it before the voice reveals the answer.
More Resources
- Guitar Ear Training , tutorials, MP3 training packs, and more software and games.
- Visual Ear Training , how to use your eyes to improve your ears.
FAQ
How is this ear training game specifically tailored for guitar players?
This game is unique because it's designed with the guitar fretboard as its main tool, rather than abstract music notation. You won't see traditional music staffs or symbols; instead, you'll identify notes and intervals directly on frets and strings, creating a direct link between sound and physical locations on your guitar.
What kind of ear training will I be practicing with this game?
The game focuses on interval recognition. You will hear a sequence of notes and then be tasked with identifying and selecting those notes, in the correct order, by clicking on the appropriate frets and strings on a virtual guitar fretboard.
How does playing this game improve my practical guitar skills like improvisation?
Regular practice with this game significantly improves your 'musical instinct.' It strengthens the connection between your mind and fingers, helping you naturally find the notes you want to play. Over time, you'll develop the ability to anticipate and 'know the sound of a fret before playing it,' which is an invaluable skill for fluid improvisation and jamming.
How does the scoring system work in the game?
The game features a score counter that increases when you correctly identify notes. However, if you select an incorrect note, your score will decrease as a penalty. This system encourages careful listening and accurate recognition, discouraging random guesses and ensuring focused ear training.
Is there a time limit for each round in the ear training game?
Yes, each round of the game has a countdown of 100 seconds. Your goal is to correctly identify as many note sequences as possible within this time frame. Once the time runs out, your best score is recorded on a leaderboard.
