How Much Ear Training Practice Do You Really Need?

By Dylan Andrews

Have you ever wondered how much ear training practice you need?

Many guitarists have this question, and I wish I could say that 20 minutes a week would make you an expert. 

The truth is everyone is different, so the answer can't be as black and white as 10 minutes, three times a week. 

It all depends on how much time a week you can consistently practice.

The key to developing a highly trained ear is first to create the habit of practicing ear training.

You can spend hours each day training your ear, but if you don’t develop the habit, you’ll quickly fizzle out.

You can only develop a trained ear by being consistent over the long term, and consistency comes from habit.    

How strong would you be if you only went to the gym once a month?

How would your teeth look if you only brushed them on Sundays?

To see progress in anything, consistency is a must. 

Here are three easy steps to make ear training a part of your routine.

Step 1: Ask yourself, “how much time can I commit to practicing each day/week?”

Don’t make the common mistake of starting with WAY too much. Choose a small amount of ear training practice time you know you can stick with for the long term.

If the answer is 10 minutes, great.

If it’s 5 minutes, ok.

20 minutes? Even better.

Step 2: After 2 – 4 weeks of consistent practice, try to add a few minutes to your routine.

If you chose 10 minutes 4 times a week, make it 15 minutes.

When that has become consistent, add a little more until you find a good amount of practice time.

Step 3: Keep trying.

You may have a week or two where your ear training practice is inconsistent. Don’t worry; it happens to everyone.

Figure out what went wrong and find a way to keep it from happening in the future.

Ear training is a long-term process, not something that’s mastered in a month or even a year. So be patient with yourself.

If you keep pushing and don’t give up, you will develop a highly trained ear.

If you want to learn more about identifying intervals by ear, get my free video on my top 5 favorite exercises for ear training.

Dylan Andrews is a professional guitar teacher and teaches ear training lessons online.