Practice Games
Interval Training
Learn to recognize the distance between two notes. Build intervals on your keyboard, or train your ear to identify them by sound. Two modes, one goal: know your intervals cold.
Quick Overview
- ✓ Two modes — Build (see interval name, play it) and Ear (hear interval, identify it)
- ✓ All intervals — From unison to octave, including minor, major, perfect, augmented, and diminished
- ✓ Any octave — Play the interval wherever you want on the keyboard
- ✓ Adjustable focus — Choose which intervals to practice so you can target your weak spots
- ✓ Hint levels — From full guidance to no help at all
1 What Is Interval Training?
An interval is the distance between two notes. A major third. A perfect fifth. An octave. Recognizing intervals—both on the keyboard and by ear—is fundamental to understanding music.
When you can instantly identify a perfect fourth, you stop counting half steps and start hearing the music. Melodies become patterns of intervals, not individual notes. That's a huge shift.
2 Build Mode
In Build mode, you see a starting note and an interval name. Your job: play the note that's the correct distance away.
- A starting note and interval appear (e.g., "C — Major 3rd up").
- Play the target note on your MIDI keyboard (in this case, E).
- If correct, the next challenge appears.
- If wrong, try again. The wrong attempt is tracked.
Correct
"G — Perfect 5th up"—you play D. That's 7 half steps above G. Next.
Wrong
"G — Perfect 5th up"—you play C. That's a perfect 4th, not a 5th. Try again.
Any octave accepted. The game checks the interval distance, not the specific octave. Play wherever feels natural.
3 Ear Mode
In Ear mode, you hear two notes played and identify the interval between them. This trains your ear to recognize intervals by sound alone—a critical skill for playing by ear, transcribing, and improvising.
- Two notes play in sequence.
- Select the correct interval name from the options.
- You can replay the interval as many times as you need.
- If correct, the next interval plays. If wrong, listen again and try a different answer.
Song associations help. "Here Comes the Bride" starts with a perfect fourth. "Twinkle Twinkle" starts with a perfect fifth. Use familiar melodies as anchors for each interval.
4 Settings
Game Type
Choose Build (play intervals on your keyboard) or Ear (identify intervals by sound).
Interval Focus
Select which intervals to include. Start with the easy ones—perfect unison, octave, perfect fifth—then add thirds, fourths, sixths, sevenths, and tritones.
Hint Level
At maximum hints, you see the number of half steps and reference songs. At minimum, you're on your own. Reduce as you improve.
5 Intervals at a Glance
Minor 2nd (1 half step)
Tense, dissonant. Think "Jaws" theme.
Major 2nd (2 half steps)
Whole step. Think "Happy Birthday" (first two notes).
Minor 3rd (3 half steps)
Sad, minor character. Think "Greensleeves."
Major 3rd (4 half steps)
Bright, happy. Think "When the Saints Go Marching In."
Perfect 4th (5 half steps)
Strong, open. Think "Here Comes the Bride."
Perfect 5th (7 half steps)
Powerful, stable. Think "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
Octave (12 half steps)
Same note, higher. Think "Somewhere Over the Rainbow."
Tips
- Start with Build mode. It's easier to learn intervals on the keyboard before training your ear.
- Learn a reference song for each interval. Song associations are the fastest path to ear recognition.
- Add intervals gradually. Master seconds and thirds before tackling sixths and sevenths.
- Practice ascending and descending. A descending major third sounds different from an ascending one. Train both.
- Don't count half steps during Ear mode. The goal is instant recognition, not calculation.
Troubleshooting
I can't hear the interval in Ear mode
Check that your device volume is up and not muted. The game uses your device's audio output to play the interval. If you're using headphones, make sure they're connected properly.
You can tap the replay button to hear the interval again.
I keep confusing major and minor thirds
This is extremely common. The trick: a major third sounds happy and bright. A minor third sounds sad or dark. In Build mode, remember that a major third is 4 half steps and a minor third is 3.
Try focusing exclusively on thirds for a few sessions until you can tell them apart reliably.
My MIDI keyboard isn't working
Connect your keyboard before opening the game. If it was connected after the page loaded, refresh the page. See MIDI Not Working? for detailed help.
Still Need Help?
If Interval Training isn't working as expected, let us know. Include which mode you're using and what's going wrong.
Response time: 2-3 business days