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Ear Training for Musical Creativty
The ear training program that actually works
Thousands of musicians have tried every ear training method out there. Our ear training program is the one they come back to — and the one they won’t stop recommending. Here’s why.
WHY IT WORKS
How is this method different from other approaches?
- Experiencing the sounds as music. Every step of the way, you'll be hearing the sounds in the context of beautiful songs and melodies. So the connection to real music is very present right from the start. This is one of the biggest complaints that musicians have about other ear training programs. They get better at identifying random intervals in the context of a quiz, but they still can't recognize anything in the songs they hear on the radio. So it's important to hear all of these beautiful sounds in the context of actual music, and that's what we do in this course.
- Using your natural ability. It's not about developing "perfect pitch" or any other unusual ability. This is something everyone can do. If I were to sing the melody to your favorite song, you would recognize that melody right away. And if I were to sing a wrong note somewhere in that melody, you would recognize that too. What this means is that you already feel the difference between all of the different notes of our musical system. You just don't know which sound is which. All you need is an organized path that lets you clarify these sensations one by one so that you finally understand which note of our musical system produces each of those beautiful sensations that you already know and love.
- Jamming with the sounds. In addition to the singing and listening exercises, you'll also be improvising with the same sounds on your instrument over backing tracks that I will give you. This creative jamming with the sounds is essential because it allows you to explore the sounds on your own, combining them into melodies and expressing your own musical ideas with them. This will give you the same mastery of music that you have with your own spoken language, which you can both speak and understand effortlessly.
Hear it
Every exercise uses actual melodies — not random intervals or test prompts. You’ll get to hear each note in a musical context, the same way it appears in the songs you love.
Feel it
Songs take place in a key, and each note of the key produces a unique sensation that you already recognize. This program teaches you to identify those sensations and name them — so the moment you hear a note, you know exactly what it is and where to find it.
Play it!
You’ll be jamming with the sounds right from the beginning as a fun and natural part of your learning. The result is that your ear training and your playing will develop together, with no separation between hearing and playing.
THE PROGRAM
Everything you need to understand music by ear
Complete multimedia video courses with singalong tracks, creative exercises and all the resources you need to understand music deeply and learn to recognize it by ear
Everything is included in your membership!
LESSON SAMPLES
Diving into the sounds together
In the video lessons we contemplate the sounds together and discover how they feel. I show you what to notice about each sound and how to study it on your own — so that you can internalize it and become so deeply familiar with it that you recognize it the moment you hear it.
In each lesson you learn what to observe, and then I invite you to practice a series of activities that make the sounds truly yours: singing the sounds with the Sing the Numbers audio tracks, improvising and creating your own music over jam tracks, and finally listening to the sounds in real songs so you can start hearing them everywhere.
Sample from the course ‘Ear Training for Musical Creativity 2’
Sample from the course ‘Pure Harmony Essentials’
EAR TRAINING ACTIVITY
Melody Paths — flowing through chords
Melody Paths is one of the most beautiful exercises in the IFR method. It takes the seven notes of the major scale — the same tonal map you’ve been getting to know through your ear training — and shows you how they flow through any chord progression.
Instead of scales and patterns to memorize, you discover the natural melodic paths that wind through the harmony: the connections between chord tones, the tensions and resolutions, the gentle pull of each note toward the next. This is what gives real melodies their life.
This sample video shows you exactly what this practice looks and sounds like. Notice how naturally the music flows when you understand the map you’re moving through.
Sample of the Melody Paths exercise from a lesson
COMPLETE AUDIO COURSE
Sing the Numbers — ear training that's a joy to practice
Sing the Numbers is IFR’s audio ear training course, and it’s unlike anything else out there. Instead of drills and intervals, we guide you through each sound of our musical system using real melodies that were written specifically to reveal the character of each note.
All you have to do is play the audio tracks and sing along. There are no exams, testing or drills. The course takes you on a guided tour of our musical system, letting you experience each beautiful sound for yourself. Each melody is presented in IFR tonal numbers. After listening to the melody, you’ll sing the same melody back in tonal numbers.
The samples to the right give you a taste of what this practice sounds and feels like. Put on headphones and try singing along — you’ll understand immediately why students keep coming back to it.
THE RESULTS
Immediate benefits to your playing
- Recognize melodies by ear and play them in any key on your instrument without having to fumble for the notes.
- Play directly from your imagination when you are improvising, expressing the sounds you hear in your mind.
- Play along with friends at jam sessions and find the key of the music instantly.
- Engage in a dialog with other soloists, responding to their musical ideas and interacting musically with them.
- Recognize the chords to your favorite songs and play them in any key on your instrument.
TESTIMONIALS
See what fellow guitarists are saying
I absolutely love Mireia's Sing the Numbers exercises — they're a true gift to the world. They've enriched my life (and soul?) so much, and I feel incredibly grateful for them.
Mireia is an excellent teacher who makes ear training enjoyable, even fun! The material is superbly paced, with steady consolidation, reinforcement and development from multiple angles. This course has produced very noticeable improvements in my understanding and given me a real boost in confidence.
The hallmark of this method is the deep dive: total and repeated immersion in the actual sounds, the raw materials that make up our beloved art form. This practice was by far the deepest learning I have ever experienced.
I began as a complete skeptic and soon realized that it IS possible to learn to recognize chords by ear. I learned how to feel the difference between different chords and how to internalize the sensations of each chord.
Things are clicking — I can actually hear the chord that's happening with very little effort now. I thought this was a superpower that some people had or didn't have. Now I know that, although it is a superpower, it isn't just bestowed on someone — we can work at it to get that superpower.
For me this program was the missing link—not a quick fix, but a lifelong and pleasurable journey.
I’ve enjoyed this course enormously and I really believe it’s changed me. Music feels incredibly exciting now, even more so than before.
The method genuinely works, and I have started to hear and recognize chord changes in the music I listen to daily, which has deepened my connection to music in ways I never thought possible.
The Ear Training course has given me the biggest and most exciting hearing breakthrough so far.
GET ACCESS
The full Ear Training Program — and everything else
The Ear Training Program is included in the IFR Membership, which gives you complete access to everything we’ve created: all video courses, the full Sing the Numbers audio collections, hundreds of jam tracks, student Q&A, and new content added regularly.
- All IFR video courses including the Ear Training program
- All 4 levels of our Sing the Numbers audio courses
- Melody Paths practice videos
- Special song analysis videos
- Jam tracks in all 12 keys and different styles
- Access to our library of student Q&A + unlimited support by email
IFR Membership
$
$
29 / month
Subscribe to our online school to get access to our Ear Training program and the entire IFR school
THE INSTRUCTOR
Learn from a professional musician and experienced teacher
Mireia Clua is a professional violinist based in New York City and the co-founder of Improvise for Real. As the creator of the entire IFR Ear Training Program, she designed our acclaimed Sing the Numbers audio courses and personally performed all the vocal tracks that guide students through their ear training journey. With more than 20 years of teaching experience, she has personally guided hundreds of IFR students in live workshops, always focused on creating a safe learning environment where each student feels respected, nurtured and encouraged.
