A "good ear" isn't something you have or don't have. It's what grows when you listen carefully and sing back what you hear, a little at a time. A few short habits, done most days, make a real difference to how quickly you learn parts and how well you hold them.
Habit 1: match a note
Play or hear a single note, then sing it back on "ah" or a hum.
- Listen first, without singing, and imagine the note in your head.
- Then sing it softly. If you're not sure you're on it, slide gently up and down until it settles.
- When you match a note, the two sounds seem to melt together. When you're slightly off, you hear a faint wobble or roughness between them.
That feeling of "settling" is what you'll use for everything else, so it's worth getting to know.
Habit 2: hear intervals
An interval is the distance between two notes. Harmony is built from a few common ones, and learning to hear them makes parts much easier to pick up.
A handy trick is to link each interval with the start of a song you know well:
- A third: the first two notes of "When the Saints Go Marching In", on "Oh, when". It's the sweet, warm distance that a lot of harmony parts sit at.
- A fifth: "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" jumps a fifth from the first "twinkle" to the second. It's open and strong: the same distance as from the bottom note of a simple chord to its top note, like C up to G.
Sing the song opening, then sing just the two notes, then try to find the same distance starting on a different note. Don't worry about naming every interval. Knowing these two well will help more than knowing ten vaguely.
Habit 3: sing back phrases
Listen to a short phrase, then sing it straight back. Start with three or four notes, then build up to a whole line.
- Listen to the whole phrase before you sing. Resist the urge to join in halfway.
- Notice its shape: does it go up, down, or stay put? Where's the highest note?
- If you get it wrong, listen again and try once more, rather than guessing a third time.
This is the heart of learning a part by ear, and it gets quicker with practice.
Habit 4: sing with a chord
Sing a note while a chord plays underneath, and listen for whether your note fits. Then move to another note of the chord. You'll start to feel which notes belong and which ones clash. This is the same sense you use when you hold a harmony part.
Keep it short and regular
- Five to ten minutes most days is plenty. Short sessions keep your attention fresh.
- Pick one habit a day if you're busy, and rotate.
- Use songs you like. It's easier to listen closely to music you enjoy.
- Headphones help you hear small differences clearly.
Instruments are welcome too: the same habits help if you play by ear.
Try it in Stackapella
Are You Sleeping is a round with short phrases that each come twice, so it's made for singing back what you hear.
- Pick a part and Listen to it a phrase at a time with its guide voice.
- Go On your own: you hear a phrase, then sing it back while your guide is off. Your notes light up as you hit them, so you know at once if you matched.
- Turn on Chords underneath and listen for how your notes settle into the chord.
- Set the note names to do re mi or numbers if you'd like to learn how the notes relate to each other, not just how they sound.
- When it's easy, Record your part, then record the next entry of the round over it.