Ear training truly is one of the most neglected aspects in a musician’s training and development.
Early on in a student’s curriculum, most music teachers will insist on developing his reading skills. This student can go on to become a very good musician; however, he will be incapable of recognizing the different ‘colors’ and nuances of chords and sounds.

Perfect Pitch - Relative Pitch
With the right tools, anyone can have a musical ear. Certain musicians are fortunate enough to possess what we call Perfect Pitch, that is, they hear a sound and instantly know whether it is a C or an E (a rare gift usually observed in very young children who have been taught music very early on, and also among those who’s parents are musicians; certain studies conclude that such a gift cannot be acquired after the age of 4 or 5).

For those of you who, like me, weren’t fortunate enough to inherently acquire such a talent, what you can do is you develop Relative Pitch, or if you prefer the color of the interval separating two notes. For example, if I hear a C, followed by an E, I’m able to tell right away that the interval between the two notes is a major 3rd; therefore, by recognizing the first note to be a C, I know, by being able to identify the interval, that the note that follows must be an E.
Such a skill can come in very handy when you need to transcribe a song directly from a recording, or when you are asked to improvise a solo on the spot, or even if it is just a matter of interacting better and quicker with the other musicians in your band.

Chord Recognition
A second skill required is to recognize the color of any chord. Just as we are able to identify the color or hue of a flower, we can also perceive the color of a chord. When I hear a Major-type chord, my perception is that of a happy, simple, enthusiastic-sounding chord. When I’m listening to a minor chord, the sound is a sad, melancholic one. Each chord has its own character; it is up to each individual to perceive it in his way.

How to Develop this Wonderful Talent
There is no miraculous way, but A GOOD AMOUNT OF PATIENCE ALONG WITH LOTS OF REPETITIONS ARE ALL IT TAKES AND THE RESULT IS GUARANTEED!
Do the exercises every day, but don’t overdo it; you should spend between 5 and 10 minutes on each exercise, max. Don’t hurry through it, don’t forget that Relative Pitch is an extraordinary talent, and even though you might have to spend a whole year developing it, you cannot lose it once you have acquired it.

Interval MP3s
Load the MP3s on your computer, on your MP3 player or any other media, select SHUFFLE, and the program or the player will then select randomly and play an interval. Try to tell which one it is, you have until the end of the track to do so before you hear a voice giving away the answer. You can even press PAUSE to give yourself a little more time to think and decide. Don’t expect and in fact, don’t even try to be an expert right off the block; self-criticism can be your worst enemy. Just let your subconscious absorb the color of each sound so that eventually, you will be able to tell them apart automatically, just like a landscape, a fragrance or a face.

One popular trick among musicians is to remember how certain all-time favourite hits begin, especially the first two notes (or single interval) of the melody.

EXAMPLES:
Georgia on my Mind starts with a minor 3rd.
Here comes the Bride starts with a Perfect 4th.
How Insensitive begins with a minor 2nd.
Summertime starts with a descending Major 3rd followed by an ascending Major 3rd.
For He's a Jolly Good Fellow begins with a Major 6th.


Chord MP3s
Same method as with the intervals, load the appropriate MP3s on your computer, your MP3 player or other, select SHUFFLE, so that the program or player randomly selects a track and play the chord on it. Try to guess which chord it is, then at the end of the track a voice will give away the answer. You can use the PAUSE button if you need more time. Give yourself a chance and don’t try to reach perfection early on the road to Relative Pitch. Don’t be too hard on yourself, take your time, let your subconscious handle its part of the job by absorbing and digesting the colour suggested by the chord you’re listening to, eventually it will come to you automatically. It is as natural as learning to instantly recognize a landscape or a place, a smell, a face...
Begin by working with 3-note chords, but only after you managed to differentiate all of them with ease should you graduate to 4-note chords.

NB. At the end of each MP3 included in that set, you will hear the name of the chord just played followed by its type. For example: C Major. Don’t pay attention to the name, concentrate instead on its type (in the last example: Major). I’ve included the name on each track for those of you who would like to have a go at guessing both the name and the type; you can do this by comparing with the chord heard on the previous track.

Scale MP3s
As with intervals, learn to identify the colour of an entire scale. Load the MP3s on your computer, on your MP3 player or any other media, select SHUFFLE, so that the program or the player can then select randomly and play an interval. Try to tell which one it is, you have until the end of the track to do so before you will hear a voice giving away the answer. You can even press PAUSE to give yourself a little more time to think and decide. Don’t expect and don’t even try to be an expert right off the block; self-criticism can be your worst enemy. Just let your subconscious absorb the color of each scale so that eventually, you will be able to tell them apart automatically, just like a landscape, a smell or a face.