Free · no microphone · about four minutes
How good is your musical ear?
Four short parts, five rounds each: which way a tone moves, which jump is bigger, which note changed in a tune, and a rhythm tapped back. One score out of 100, and what each part says about your ear.
Headphones and a quiet room help. On an iPhone the silent switch mutes the tones. The last part is tapping, so keep a thumb free.
Part 1 of 4 · Pitch
Did the last tone go up or down?
What a musical ear is
A musical ear isn't one thing. It is hearing which way a note moves, hearing how far it jumped, keeping a short tune in your head long enough to notice a change, and feeling where the beat falls. Most people are better at some of these than others, and all four get better with use. This test gives each its own row, so you see where your ear is strong and where it has room.
The four parts
Pitch. Three tones; did the last one go up or down? The step shrinks from a semitone to an eighth of one. "Can't tell" is an honest answer at the end and counts as missed.
Intervals. Two jumps, one after the other; which was bigger? It starts with an obvious difference and ends with a single semitone between them, the gap between a major and a minor third.
Melody memory. A tune plays twice; one note is different the second time. Which one? The tunes grow from four notes to eight.
Rhythm. Hear a short rhythm, then tap it back on the pad. Your speed doesn't matter, the pattern does: the gaps between your taps have to match.
Questions
What is a good score?
Guessing gets about 30. Most people with no training land between 55 and 80. Above 85 is a trained ear, the kind that comes from years of playing or singing. The score moves a lot with headphones, a quiet room and a rested evening, so take it twice before believing it.
Is this the same as the tone-deaf test?
No. The tone-deaf test asks one worried question: can I hear pitch at all? This one assumes you can and asks how far your ear goes, across four skills instead of two.
Is this a hearing test?
No. It checks what you make of musical sounds, not how quiet a sound you can hear. For your hearing, see an audiologist or your doctor.
Can I get better at it?
Yes, every part. Intervals improve fastest with a few minutes a day (interval ear training does exactly that). Melody memory and rhythm come from making music: hum a line into Brumm and it becomes an instrument inside a club track.
Nothing you answer or tap is kept or sent. How the site counts visits.