Ear training is the procedure by which a student can learn to discern between several periods, chords and rhythms. These aural skills are needed for musicians as they allow them to transcribe, play by ear, and sight-read accurately, and even acquiring benefits with regards to composition (particularly, being able to transmit the tune in your head to paper or your instrument), and more.
Aural skills must be learned by working on, and as such it is advisable to have effective workouts in order to cultivate them. To begin with, students can try simple call-and-response-type trainings such as recreating single notes: you can use a recording, or have a companion or instructor play one note, and then try to sing or perform the same note. This is known as an "absolute pitch" exercise, and it will produce a sense in the student for what a given note sounds like; if you're able to recognize the note immediately, you may have excellent pitch. This form of training can also be done with several notes took part in a series, becoming increasingly difficult, which will focus on memory together with recognition of notes.
Another necessary section to focus on is the identification of intervals. Listen to two notes played one after another and try to identify the interval between the two, starting with the basics like octaves and perfect fifths before shifting to other intervals. Being able to appropriately determine intervals means you have relative pitch, which is regarded as an important talent for musicians. As soon as you can determine intervals, you can use that skill to distinguish chords. Students might also think about using relevant exercises with the purpose of differentiating easily between minor and major chords. Moreover, once intervals have been mastered, students can proceed to exercises to differentiate among various kinds of scales.
