NaturalEar
Welcome to NaturalEar – Ear Trainer, an app created out of the need to practice musical ear training, not through dry definitions and formulas, but through practical experience and conscious listening.
This course draws inspiration from Functional Ear Training developed by Alain Benbassat, a method that places sounds in the context of tonality. It is not a strict copy but has been creatively developed and tailored based on my own musical experiences, hundreds of hours of practice, exercises, and listening.
The result? A course that guides you step by step through the process of ear development—from the simplest sounds to more complex harmonic challenges.
At the heart of this approach is tonality – the musical "home" that gives meaning to all other sounds. To feel tonality, you first need to hear it. That’s where the cadence comes in—a short chord progression (usually I-IV-V-I) that helps you grasp the character and “gravity” of tonality. It’s like a musical comma, period, or exclamation point. Thanks to it, your brain begins to orient itself, understanding where we are and what the "reference point" sounds like.
The resolution is like a musical GPS. After hearing the sound that needs to be recognized, a quick transition to the tonic is played—the shortest, most natural way. This helps to build a mental connection between the sound and the entire tonality.
It sounds simple? Good, because effective things often are.
The exercises are designed to naturally progress to the next level. We start with a few notes in C major, gradually expanding the range—adding new notes, octaves, keys, minor keys, and eventually chromatics. Initially, everything is supported by cadence and resolution, but over time, this safety net disappears, and you take full control. Similarly, with chords—starting from simple ones to more complex progressions in different tonalities.
If you prefer classical training, the app also offers traditional ear training exercises, such as interval recognition. Not everyone likes to start in the middle of the musical jungle—sometimes it’s good to practice on simple branches first.
This course is not an academic lecture, but a practical tool. Its goal is to help you hear, understand, and feel music better. I hope it brings you as much joy as it did me while creating it.
Start your musical ear training today with NaturalEar – Ear Trainer!