What is ear training?

Ear training is the practice of developing your musical hearing — learning to identify intervals, chords, scales, rhythms, and melodies by sound alone. It is fundamental to musicianship at every level.

How long does it take to develop a musical ear?

With consistent daily practice of 10–15 minutes, most students notice measurable improvement within 4–8 weeks. Musestar's adaptive exercises target your specific weaknesses to accelerate progress.

Is Musestar ear training free?

Musestar offers a free tier with access to core exercises. Pro unlocks all 101 exercises, unlimited history, and advanced analytics.

Music Theory Reference

The complete diatonic chord reference for every key and scale. Look up the notes, chords, and roman numerals for any combination of root and scale type. 216 pages covering all 12 roots × 18 scale types.

Browse by Key

Pick a root note to see all scales in that key

C C#D♭D D#E♭E F F#G♭G G#A♭A A#B♭B

Diatonic

MajorThe brightest, most stable scale — the foundation of Western…in C →Natural MinorThe natural minor scale — dark, melancholic, the basis of mi…in C →

Minor Variants

Harmonic MinorNatural minor with a raised 7th — creates a strong leading t…in C →Melodic MinorRaises the 6th and 7th of natural minor — smooth, jazzy, use…in C →

Modes

DorianThe 2nd mode — minor with a raised 6th. Funky, soulful, wide…in C →PhrygianThe 3rd mode — minor with a flat 2nd. Dark, Spanish, broodin…in C →LydianThe 4th mode — major with a raised 4th. Dreamy, floating, et…in C →MixolydianThe 5th mode — major with a flat 7th. Bluesy, rootsy, rock a…in C →LocrianThe 7th mode — only mode with a diminished 5th. Unstable and…in C →

Pentatonic

Major Pentatonic5-note major scale without 4th or 7th. Universal, tension-fr…in C →Minor Pentatonic5-note minor scale — the foundation of blues, rock, and guit…in C →BluesMinor pentatonic with an added flat 5th (blue note). The sou…in C →

Symmetric

Whole Tone6-note scale of equal whole steps. Dreamy, ambiguous, no ton…in C →Diminished (H-W)8-note alternating half-whole scale. Tense, jazzy, used over…in C →Diminished (W-H)8-note alternating whole-half scale. The inverse of H-W dimi…in C →

Exotic

Phrygian DominantMode V of harmonic minor. Middle-Eastern, Spanish, dramatic.…in C →Hungarian MinorDouble harmonic minor — two augmented 2nds give an intensely…in C →Lydian DominantMode IV of melodic minor. Raised 4th + flat 7th — bright, ja…in C →

What are Diatonic Chords?

Diatonic chords are the chords built by stacking thirds using only the notes of a given scale. For example, in C major the diatonic chords are C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, and Bdim — each chord uses only the notes C D E F G A B.

Every scale produces a different set of chord qualities. The major scale always produces the pattern major-minor-minor-major-major-minor-diminished. The dorian mode produces minor-minor-major-major-minor-diminished-major. Understanding this lets you work out the chords in any key instantly.

Use this reference to look up the exact notes and chords for any key and scale combination — then use the ear training tools to practise recognising them by sound.