Unlocking my Inner Jukebox

This week, I dove into ear training for this week’s learning journey of learning the piano. It turned out to be one of the most humbling parts of learning the piano so far. Unlike past weeks where I focused on technique, or learning songs, this week was all about listening–really listening–and building the ability to recognize pitch, intervals, and chords by ear.

Online Tools I Used

• Ear training (APP) – listening chords and finding notes on keyboards
• Ear training for kids C&G – fun pitch matching game
• Ear training for kids C&E – fun pitch matching game

What is Ear Training? Why is it Important in Music?

Ear training is the practice of teaching your ears to recognize musical elements like pitch, intervals, chords, and rhythm. This week, I focused on pitch recognition, which is the ability to name a note (like C, E, or G) just by hearing it.

Through my digital videos and apps, I learned to listen closely to small differences in sounds. I learned that:

• C sounds like a strong, grounded note–it often feels like “home base.”
• E is higher, a bit brighter
• G has a rounder, warmer tone that’s deeper than E

Practicing 

First I practiced  starting each session this week with the C & G and C & E youtube videos. These were simple, but very effective. They played a note, and I had to match it to the correct pitch. The repetition and friendly tone made it easier to focus, and the feedback helped me recognize patterns faster.

Once I completed this warm up everyday this week, I went onto my ear training app, and listened to chords and tried to find the ones on the virtual keyboard. To help me with this I also would have my physical keyboard for support and reminders of which chord sounds like what. This part of my learning journey was challenging, but I could feel myself improving each time.

I practiced for 10-15 minutes a day. The key was consistency–not cramming, but building up my listening “muscle” slowly. Some days were easier than others. I had to fail multiple times in order for the sessions to add up and succeed.

Goal Reflection

This week’s goal was challenging and very different from past piano sessions. I honestly wanted to at some points to give up. It was hard for me to identify each key. A lot of the keys sounded very similar. I had to fail a lot in order to get into the rhythm of processing sound to key. Although, I am proud I didn’t give up.

The most useful tool this week I would say is the ear training for kids. They gave me am approachable way to start listening more intentionally and trusting my ear. I’d recommend them to anyone starting out, especially young learners and teachers. It’s super accessible to all ages. I made sure to check if it was available on youtube kids if younger students can access it and they definitely can. My only down side of learning online this week was the lack of digital education for ear training. Yes, there is resources. However, not all are reliable or super helpful. This made my learning journey this week a bit more challenging.

NEXT WEEK

My goal is to learn a simple beginner-friendly song that uses both hands together. This will be my first time coordinating melody and harmony, so I expect it will take patience and lots of slow practice — but I’m ready for the challenge!