APPENDIX
B
Music Theory Ear Training Course
Welcome to the Music Theory Ear Training Course! This audio course leads you step-by-step through the essential concepts of music theory, including pitches, scales, intervals, rhythms, chords, and melodies. The course itself is online, at this book’s website: idiotsguides.com/musictheory. From there, you can listen to the streaming audio tracks on any computer or connected mobile device by clicking each track in turn.
To work through the Music Theory Ear Training Course, all you have to do is listen to the examples on the website and then test yourself with the audio exercises. Click to listen to each exercise and then write down your answer on a piece of blank staff paper. Feel free to repeat each exercise as many times as necessary. You can then check your answers against those in this appendix.
Track Listing
Track |
Contents |
1. |
Introduction |
2. |
Lesson One: Pitches |
3. |
Pitch Exercises 1–5 |
4. |
Pitch Exercises 6–10 |
5. |
Pitch Exercises 11–15 |
6. |
Pitch Exercises 16–20 |
7. |
Pitch Exercises 21–25 |
8. |
Pitch Exercises 26–30 |
Track |
Contents |
9. |
Pitch Exercises 31–35 |
10. |
Pitch Exercises 36–40 |
11. |
Lesson Two: Intervals |
12. |
Interval Exercises 1–5 |
13. |
Interval Exercises 6–10 |
14. |
Interval Exercises 11–15 |
15. |
Interval Exercises 16–20 |
16. |
Interval Exercises 21–25 |
Track |
Contents |
17. |
Interval Exercises 26–30 |
18. |
Interval Exercises 31–35 |
19. |
Interval Exercises 36–40 |
20. |
Interval Exercises 41–45 |
21. |
Interval Exercises 46–50 |
22. |
Interval Exercises 51–55 |
23. |
Interval Exercises 56–60 |
24. |
Lesson Three: Scales |
25. |
Scale Exercises 1–5 |
26. |
Scale Exercises 6–10 |
27. |
Lesson Four: Rhythms |
28. |
Rhythm Exercises 1–5 |
29. |
Rhythm Exercises 6–10 |
30. |
Rhythm Exercises 11–15 |
31. |
Rhythm Exercises 16–20 |
Track |
Contents |
32. |
Rhythm Exercises 21–25 |
33. |
Rhythm Exercises 26–30 |
34. |
Rhythm Exercises 31–35 |
35. |
Rhythm Exercises 36–40 |
36. |
Lesson Five: Melodies |
37. |
Melody Exercises 1–5 |
38. |
Melody Exercises 6–10 |
39. |
Melody Exercises 11–15 |
40. |
Melody Exercises 16–20 |
41. |
Lesson Six: Chords |
42. |
Chord Exercises 1–5 |
43. |
Chord Exercises 6–10 |
44. |
Chord Exercises 11–15 |
45. |
Chord Exercises 16–20 |
46. |
Coda |
Answers to Audio Exercises
Compare your answers to the audio exercises with the correct answers listed here. (Don’t cheat!)
Pitch Exercises (Tracks 3 to 10)
Identify the following pitches, using the treble clef, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
1. |
A |
2. |
C |
3. |
G |
4. |
B♭ (or A♯, enharmonically) |
Track |
Contents |
5. |
F♯ (or G♭, enharmonically) |
6. |
B |
7. |
A♭ (or G♯, enharmonically) |
8. |
C♯ (or D♭, enharmonically) |
Track |
Contents |
9. |
D |
10. |
B |
11. |
E♭ (or D♯, enharmonically) |
12. |
B♭ (or A♯, enharmonically) |
13. |
F |
14. |
A♭ (or G♯, enharmonically) |
Track |
Contents |
15. |
E |
16. |
C |
17. |
C♯ (or D♭, enharmonically) |
18. |
F♯ (or G♭, enharmonically) |
19. |
E |
20. |
A |
Identify the following lower pitches, using the bass clef, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
21. |
C |
22. |
B♭ (or A♯, enharmonically) |
23. |
D |
24. |
F |
25. |
A♭ (or G♯, enharmonically) |
26. |
G |
27. |
E |
28. |
C♯ (or D♭, enharmonically) |
29. |
E♭ (or D♯, enharmonically) |
30. |
F♯ (or G♭, enharmonically) |
Track |
Contents |
31. |
A |
32. |
C |
33. |
G |
34. |
B |
35. |
F♯ (or G♭, enharmonically) |
36. |
B♭ (or A♯, enharmonically) |
37. |
E |
38. |
E♭ (or D♯, enharmonically) |
39. |
A |
40. |
D |
Interval Exercises (Tracks 12 to 23)
Identify the following ascending intervals, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
1. |
Perfect fifth |
2. |
Octave |
3. |
Perfect fourth |
4. |
Major third |
Track |
Contents |
5. |
Minor third |
6. |
Perfect fifth |
7. |
Major sixth |
8. |
Major seventh |
Track |
Contents |
9. |
Major second |
10. |
Minor sixth |
11. |
Perfect fourth |
12. |
Minor second |
13. |
Minor third |
14. |
Perfect fifth |
Track |
Contents |
15. |
Tritone (or augmented fourth or diminished fifth, enharmonically) |
16. |
Major third |
17. |
Minor seventh |
18. |
Octave |
19. |
Major sixth |
20. |
Major seventh |
Identify the following descending intervals, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
21. |
Major third |
22. |
Perfect fourth |
23. |
Minor third |
24. |
Octave |
25. |
Perfect fifth |
26. |
Perfect fifth |
27. |
Major sixth |
28. |
Major seventh |
29. |
Major second |
30. |
Minor sixth |
31. |
Minor second |
Track |
Contents |
32. |
Minor third |
33. |
Perfect fourth |
34. |
Perfect fifth |
35. |
Major third |
36. |
Tritone (or augmented fourth or diminished fifth, enharmonically) |
37. |
Minor seventh |
38. |
Major sixth |
39. |
Octave |
40. |
Major seventh |
Identify both the interval and the second note in each series, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
41. |
Minor third (A-C) |
42. |
Perfect fifth (D-A) |
43. |
Major seventh (G-F♯) |
44. |
Minor third (B♭-D♭) |
45. |
Perfect fourth (C-F) |
46. |
Major sixth (A♭-F) |
47. |
Octave (C♯-C♯) |
48. |
Tritone (G-C♯ or G-D♭, enharmonically) |
49. |
Major third (D-F♯) |
50. |
Minor second (B-C) |
Track |
Contents |
51. |
Minor sixth (C-A♭) |
52. |
Minor seventh (B-A) |
53. |
Minor ninth (G-A♭) |
54. |
Minor third (E-G) |
55. |
Perfect fifth (F♯-C♯) |
56. |
Major second (D-E) |
57. |
Major third (E-G♯) |
58. |
Major sixth (A-F♯) |
59. |
Major seventh (G-F♯) |
60. |
Octave (A-A) |
Scale Exercises (Tracks 25 and 26)
Identify the following scale types and the starting note of each scale, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
1. |
A Major |
2. |
C Major |
3. |
A natural minor |
4. |
F Major |
5. |
E natural minor |
Track |
Contents |
6. |
E harmonic minor |
7. |
E melodic minor (ascending) |
8. |
B♭ Major |
9. |
D natural minor |
10. |
G melodic minor (ascending) |
Rhythm Exercises (Tracks 28 to 35)
Transcribe the following rhythms, as played on the website.
Melody Exercises (Tracks 37 to 40)
Transcribe the following melodies, as played on the website.
Chord Exercises (Tracks 42 to 45)
Identify the chord types (major, minor, diminished, and augmented), as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
1. |
Major |
2. |
Minor |
3. |
Major |
4. |
Major |
5. |
Minor |
Track |
Contents |
6. |
Diminished |
7. |
Major |
8. |
Augmented |
9. |
Minor |
10. |
Diminished |
Identify the following types of extended chords, as played on the website.
Track |
Contents |
11. |
Major seventh |
12. |
Minor seventh |
13. |
Dominant seventh |
14. |
Major seventh |
15. |
Dominant seventh |
Track |
Contents |
16. |
Major ninth |
17. |
Dominant seventh |
18. |
Minor ninth |
19. |
Major seventh |
20. |
Minor seventh |
Repeat the previous exercises, this time writing out the actual chord names (with the correct starting pitch) for each chord.
Track |
Contents |
1. |
C Major |
2. |
F minor |
3. |
E Major |
4. |
B♭ Major |
5. |
G minor |
6. |
B diminished |
7. |
E♭ Major |
8. |
E♭ augmented |
9. |
D minor |
10. |
G diminished |
Track |
Contents |
11. |
F Major seventh |
12. |
G minor seventh |
13. |
E♭ dominant seventh (E♭7) |
14. |
D Major seventh |
15. |
A dominant seventh (A7) |
16. |
C Major ninth |
17. |
F dominant seventh (F7) |
18. |
D minor ninth |
19. |
E♭ Major seventh |
20. |
F♯ minor seventh |