Ear training is the process by which a student can learn to distinguish between different periods, chords and rhythms. These aural skills are important for musicians as they permit them to transcribe, perform by ear, and sight-read correctly, and even developing advantages in relation to composition (such as, being able to transmit the melody 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 activities in order to improve them. To begin with, students can undertake simple call-and-response-type activities such as recreating single notes: you can use a recording, or have a friend or trainer play one note, and then try to sing or carry out the same note. This is known as an "absolute pitch" exercise, and it will build a sense in the student for what certain note sounds like; if you're able to determine the note immediately, you may have excellent pitch. This type of training can also be done with various notes played in a series, becoming increasingly challenging, which will focus on memory along with identification of notes.
Another necessary area to pay attention to is the identification of intervals. Listen to two notes played one after another and try to figure out the interval between the two, beginning with the essentials like octaves and perfect fifths before going to other intervals. Getting able to accurately determine intervals means you have relative pitch, which is considered an essential ability for musicians. As soon as you can identify intervals, you can use that skill to identify guitar chords. Students might also consider using relevant activities with the goal of distinguishing easily between minor and major chords. On top of that, once intervals have been learned, students can move on to exercises to distinguish among a variety of scales.
