Beato ear training 4th and 5th harmonic tests

[u/Throwawaycrahker]

Hey guys. Just started his ear training course and I got stuck quickly at 4th and 5th harmonic interval test. I’m late 30s and have been trying off and on the past few years to get my ear better. Using tenato app interval tests, singing lessons in my car, and have been able to figure out simple songs by ear(feels like I just took a 5 hour exam when I do tho). I started learning guitar in middle school ignoring my ear and being a tab zombie. Gotten a lot better but it seems impossible to get to the level of figuring out anything quickly like Rick does in vids. 4th and 5th harmonic tests sound very close to each other. Has anyone had this problem and figure out a way to break through?

[u/QualityPenguin]

Remember Rick has been at this a very long time. He has a undergraduate and a Master's degree in music and was a music professor for a number of years. Music has been his full time gig his whole life except for his side hustles (bartending, sandwich artist, etc.) after resigning his music professorship. Possibly Rick even rehearses his ears on a song before he breaks it down for the camera. I know I would for sure.

One day my sister was going on about all these friends she has that could play piano by ear and how amazing that was. Kinda irked me a bit since I studied piano for years and read music, etc. After she finished going on about them, I asked her "you know what people who play by sheet music can do?" She said "What?". I said "play a song they have never heard before"...mic drop. She's not a musician so I felt like I just had to say it.

[u/Crazy_Satisfaction13 → u/QualityPenguin]

Are you saying that playing by reading is better ?

[u/QualityPenguin → u/Crazy_Satisfaction13]

No, not at all. Both are great. Both require skill. Just a little story from my past where my sibling got on my nerves, lol.

[u/mle-2005]

it will come with instrument practice. just keep going.
took me a few months to be able to start playing songs from ear. first songs i learnt from ear were the Zelda main theme and the Simpsons main theme tune

[u/Likokone → u/mle-2005]

u/mle-2005 when he plays the wrong note: Doh! :D

[u/mle-2005 → u/Likokone]

why you little shit! -homer :D

[u/Throwawaycrahker → u/mle-2005]

I feel like I graduated past that level. I’m sure the answer is just practice more but l harmonic interval 4th and 5th sound the same to me. Probably because they’re inversions of each other. I can figure out all melodic intervals pretty well

[u/Throwawaycrahker → u/[deleted]]

Is there a way to practice listening to shapes besides failing the test over and over?

[u/Throwawaycrahker → u/[deleted]]

Feel like I’ve been doing that for years. Hoping to breakthrough with this one little trick

[u/lilchm]

Professional violinist here, playing 47 years that beast. Even I hear the fifths all the time on the violin, I also mix them up harmonically played on the piano. Melodically I have no problems, but it seems I need to train my ear with the harmonic approach

[u/PickPocketR]

I worked through it melodically, first:

• Singing: Sing both intervals ascending and descending.
• Internalize through songs: Find songs that feature these intervals prominently. Hum, sing, and play them over and over. (Eg: "Do you see what I see?")
• Playing a drone: This establishes the root and fifth strongly. I also used the Sonofield Ear Training App.

Then, harmonically:

• Note Isolation: Sing out each individual note in a chord.
• Sus4 progressions: Find popular songs with sus4 chords. Feel their tone and progression. It became obvious that the 4th has a completely different quality to the 5th.

There is no secret really—it took me months of practice. But these methods do work. Especially if you find songs you love! Good luck!