tonal.fm
PRO

Get all tools offline & ad-free in a single file — no install needed.Just $9, one-time.

Get tonal.fm Pro →

Chord Ear Trainer

Hear a chord, name its quality. Twelve rounds, random keys, instant feedback - start with triads, graduate to sevenths. The harmony half of ear training.

Difficulty

Major, minor, diminished, augmented - the four triad colors.

The eight qualities at a glance

Major

bright, resolved, "happy"

Minor

darker, "sad"

Diminished

tense, unstable, wants to move

Augmented

dreamlike, floating, unresolved

Major 7th

lush, jazzy, settled

Dominant 7th

bluesy, pulls toward resolution

Minor 7th

mellow, soulful

Half-diminished (m7♭5)

dark and suspended, jazz ii chord in minor

Want to explore each color at your own pace before quizzing? The chord player plays any quality in any key, and chord progressions puts them in context. The full curriculum lives in the ear training guide.

Chord Ear Training FAQ

What is chord ear training?

Learning to name a chord's quality - major, minor, diminished, seventh types - purely by sound. It is the harmony half of ear training: interval recognition handles melody, chord-quality recognition lets you follow and transcribe progressions, hear changes coming in a jam, and understand why a song feels the way it does.

What order should I learn chord qualities?

Major vs minor first - the fundamental bright/dark distinction. Add diminished (tension) and augmented (floating strangeness) to finish the triads. Then sevenths: dominant 7th (the blues chord), minor 7th, major 7th, and finally half-diminished. Each stage on this trainer maps to that path: drill Triads above 90% before switching the tier to Sevenths.

How is this different from interval training?

Intervals are two notes - a distance. Chords are three or four sounding together - a color. The skills reinforce each other (a major triad is a major 3rd stacked under a minor 3rd), and most ear-training curricula run both in parallel: intervals for melody, qualities for harmony. Our interval trainer covers the other half.

Why do the chords play in different keys each time?

Random roots force you to hear the quality itself rather than memorizing absolute pitches - the whole point of relative pitch. A major chord in E must sound "major" to you the same way one in B♭ does. If the moving root throws you at first, that is the skill forming.

Try Our Other Audio Tools

Online Tone Generator

Generate single tones with precise frequency control. Perfect for quick audio testing and tuning.

Try it now→

Multiple Tone Generator

Play multiple frequencies simultaneously with independent volume and panning controls.

Try it now→

Frequency Sweep Generator

Create linear or exponential frequency sweeps for speaker testing and room acoustics analysis.

Try it now→

Binaural Beats Generator

Generate binaural beats for meditation, focus, and relaxation. Requires headphones for proper effect.

Try it now→

DTMF Tone Generator

Generate telephone dial pad tones (Dual Tone Multi Frequency). Interactive touch-tone dial pad.

Try it now→

Online Metronome

Professional metronome with tap tempo, time signatures, subdivisions, and tempo trainer for musicians.

Try it now→

BPM Counter

Tap along to any song to find its tempo in beats per minute. Includes tempo markings reference.

Try it now→

Chord Player

Hear major, minor, diminished, and seventh chords in every key. Block chords or arpeggios.

Try it now→

Chord Progression Player

Hear classic progressions like I-V-vi-IV and 12-bar blues in any key at any tempo.

Try it now→

Online Piano

Free browser piano with 3 octaves, note names, and computer keyboard support.

Try it now→

Noise Generator

Generate white, pink, and brown noise for sleep, focus, tinnitus relief, and speaker burn-in.

Try it now→

Instrument Tuner

Reference tuning notes for guitar, bass, ukulele, violin, cello, and more at concert pitch (A440).

Try it now→

Subwoofer Test

Test your subwoofer with a 60-second frequency sweep (150Hz-1Hz) and individual bass test tones.

Try it now→

Hearing Test

Test your hearing range from 8kHz to 20kHz. Find your hearing age and compare with averages.

Try it now→

Solfeggio Frequencies

Ancient healing tones including 528Hz (DNA repair). For meditation, chakra activation, and spiritual healing.

Try it now→

Speaker Balance Test

Test stereo balance with panning control and left/right channel testing. Perfect for speaker setup.

Try it now→

Speaker Phase Test

Check speaker wiring polarity by comparing in-phase and out-of-phase test signals.

Try it now→

Audio Latency Test

Measure your Bluetooth or system audio delay in milliseconds with a click-and-flash sync test.

Try it now→

Spectrum Analyzer

Real-time frequency analysis of your microphone input with a live log-frequency display.

Try it now→

Decibel Meter

Measure approximate sound levels with your microphone - live dB with min/avg/max tracking.

Try it now→

Mic Test

Check your microphone in seconds: live waveform, level meter, and record-and-playback check.

Try it now→

Interval Ear Trainer

Learn to recognize musical intervals by ear with quiz mode, score tracking, and song mnemonics.

Try it now→

Pitch Pipe

Chromatic pitch pipe with all 12 notes across 3 octaves. Perfect for singers, choirs, and a cappella groups.

Try it now→

Shepard Tone

Experience the auditory illusion of an infinitely ascending or descending tone. Mind-bending psychoacoustic phenomenon.

Try it now→

Mosquito Tone

Can you hear the mosquito tone? High-frequency test (15-20kHz) that only young people can hear. Find your hearing age!

Try it now→

Soundscape Builder

Create relaxing ambient soundscapes with singing bowls, nature sounds, and binaural beats.

Try it now→

Water Eject Sound

Push water out of a wet phone or watch speaker with a pulsed 165 Hz tone - the same method Apple Watch uses.

Try it now→

Dog Whistle

Adjustable high-frequency whistle (8-22 kHz) for dog training - clearly audible to dogs, silent to most adults.

Try it now→

Isochronic Tones

Rhythmic pulsed tones across delta to gamma ranges. Stronger than binaural beats and works without headphones.

Try it now→

Perfect Pitch Test

Name 12 random notes with no reference tone and find out if you have absolute pitch or great pitch memory.

Try it now→

Vocal Range Test

Sing your lowest and highest notes and get your range plus voice type - bass to soprano. Mic-based, nothing uploaded.

Try it now→

Hearing Age Test

Find the highest frequency you can hear (8-20 kHz) and see how old your ears test. Takes one minute.

Try it now→

Drum Machine

16-step beat maker with synthesized 808-style drums, swing, and shareable pattern links.

Try it now→

Audio Analyzer / LUFS Meter

Drop a file and get integrated LUFS, true peak, RMS, and a waveform - measured locally, nothing uploaded.

Try it now→

Chromatic Tuner

Microphone tuner with a cents needle - play any note on any instrument and tune to ±5 cents.

Try it now→

Headphone Test

Five-minute headphone checkup: channels, wiring polarity, bass and treble reach, and driver distortion.

Try it now→

Surround Sound Test

Send noise to each 5.1 channel - fronts, center, surrounds, and subwoofer - and catch swapped or dead speakers.

Try it now→