Chord Ear Trainer
Hear a triad or seventh chord — in any inversion — and pick out every note it contains. Real piano, guitar, and string sounds, free in your browser, no signup.
Start training — it's freeNo account needed. Works on phone and desktop.
How it works
- Pick a polyphonic instrument — piano, guitar, bass guitar, violin, viola, cello, or double bass — and a difficulty.
- Each round plays a triad or seventh chord, voiced in any inversion, anywhere in your chosen range.
- Enter every note you hear on a staff or piano keyboard — order doesn't matter, hearing them all does. Replay the chord as often as you like.
- Five rounds per game; a round counts only when you've found all the notes. A perfect game is 5/5.
Hear inside the chord
Naming a chord "minor seventh" is one skill; hearing that its third is on top is another. Because you must find every individual pitch, this trains the skill arrangers, improvisers, and transcribers actually use: hearing through a block of sound to the voices inside it. Inversions stop being trick questions and start being voicings you recognize.
Learn with training wheels, then take them off
A toggle lets the chord's notes play one at a time, like an arpeggio, while you're getting started — then all together when you're ready for the real challenge. Difficulty scales too: Easy keeps chords inside an 8-note major scale, Medium opens up a chromatic octave, Hard uses the full instrument range, and Custom lets you set your own limits.
Tips for chord ear training
- Find the bass note first. It anchors the chord; the upper voices are intervals above it you already know from interval training.
- Sing the chord bottom-to-top before answering. Arpeggiating by voice forces you to resolve each pitch.
- Use the play-separately toggle honestly — as a step, not a home. Switch it off as soon as you're above chance.
- Short daily games beat long weekly ones. The app keeps a daily streak to make that easy.
Frequently asked questions
What chords does the trainer play?
Triads and seventh chords, in any inversion, built anywhere in the range you've chosen. You identify every note in the chord, not just its name.
Why isn't chord mode available on my instrument?
Chord mode needs an instrument that can sound several notes at once, so it's offered on piano, guitar, bass guitar, violin, viola, cello, and double bass. Winds and brass get single-note and interval training instead.
Can I hear the chord notes one at a time?
Yes — a toggle lets you hear the notes played separately as an arpeggio while you're learning, then together only when you're ready for the harder version.
Is it free?
Yes — every mode, instrument, and difficulty is free with no ads, and no account is required to play.