Ear Training

I’ll admit, I was skeptical about an ear-training *audiobook*. How do you practice hearing without, well, *doing* the hearing? But *Ear Training* surprised me by turning its format into an advantage. The virtual narrator—while undeniably robotic—acts like a drill sergeant for your ears, barking out intervals and chords with just enough pause for you to guess before revealing the answer. It’s not a cozy listen; it’s a workout, and that’s the point. The first half focuses on intervals, using piano and guitar examples that are cleanly recorded (though the guitar tones lean a bit sterile for my taste). The chord progression section, however, is where this shines: it forces you to distinguish between major, minor, and diminished triads in rapid succession, which is far more effective than static diagrams in a book. That said, this isn’t without flaws. The pacing in the melody recognition section feels rushed—some phrases blur together, and the virtual voice doesn’t always signal when a new example begins, which led to a few frustrating "wait, was that the same note or not?" moments. And while the lack of fluff is refreshing, I wished for *just* a smidge more context on *why* certain intervals sound tense or resolved. Still, for under an hour, it delivers what it promises: a focused, repeatable way to sharpen your ear without getting lost in theory. If you’re a beginner who’s serious about improving but short on time (or patience), this is a steal. Just keep your instrument nearby—you’ll want to test yourself immediately.