Ear training is made to be WAY more complicated than it needs to. Most teachers will show you how to train your ear in a very boring and linear approach. In this article I want to show you how people make it hard so you can avoid these common mistakes.
First off, many beginners start by identifying intervals in isolation. There is nothing wrong with this (at least in the beginning), but most practice this by identifying intervals to songs.
For example, the perfect 5th is Star Wars and the minor 2nd is Jaws.
The problem with this is intervals change function and feeling every time a chord changes. So memorizing how intervals sound in isolation will only help you if you hear them in isolation. And in real music, they are almost never isolated.
Also, do you really want to be thinking about Star Wars and Jaws when listening to your favorite songs?
Another problem with this method of listening to intervals in isolation is that just listening is not the best way to train your ear.
Of course, listening to music and transcribing is excellent. But doing this alone is a very slow process to training your ear.
The best way is to sing intervals. When you sing intervals, you not only hear them but also feel them in your own voice. This strengthens your understanding of pitch and helps you internalize the sounds you're trying to recognize. Singing intervals is a powerful and straightforward practice that makes ear training easier.
The next way people make ear training hard is by practicing inconsistently. Progress in ear training compounds over time, just like any other skill. If you practice haphazardly, it can often feel like starting from scratch each time.
Instead, establish a consistent practice routine. Regular, deliberate practice will help you build upon your previous efforts, making ear training easier and more efficient.
To watch me go deeper into how to make ear training easy, check out this video.
And if you're serious about fast-tracking your ear training, check out my online course called Complete Ear Mastery
This will show you fun, easy and simple way to train your ear so you can become the player you want to be!