Melodic Dictation Trainer
Hear a short piano melody, enter what you heard, and see the answer on the staff — then listen to your version next to the correct one. The skill every theory class demands, in two-minute rounds.
How to Practice Melodic Dictation
Dictation is the skill that connects your ear to the page, and it responds fast to short, frequent practice. A routine that works: press Hear the key & melody and just listen once, all the way through. Before touching a key, sing the melody back in solfège — out loud or in your head. Then enter it. If you're wrong, don't rush to the next one: play your answer, play the correct one, and listen for exactly where they part ways. Hearing your own mistake is the fastest ear-training there is.
Three habits that make dictation click
1. Anchor to Do. Every melody here starts after the tonic chord, so you always know where home is. Relate every note back to it — "that's Sol, that's Mi" — instead of chasing intervals between neighbors. 2. Catch the skeleton first. First note, last note, highest note. Fill the rest in on the replays. 3. Trust contour. If you know the line went up-up-down, you've narrowed each note to a couple of candidates before you've named anything.
The Levels
| Level | What's new |
|---|---|
| 1–2 · First Steps, Walking | 3–4 notes, stepwise only — hear direction and count steps. |
| 3–4 · Small Skips, Five Notes | Thirds arrive, more keys, repeated notes. |
| 5–6 · Triad Leaps, Stretching Out | Leaps of a 4th and 5th — the tonic-triad sounds. |
| 7 · Minor Mode | Minor keys (do-based: Do Re Me Fa Sol Le Te). |
| 8–10 · Longer Lines, Wide Range, The Gauntlet | 7–8 notes, octave leaps, every key up to 4 sharps/flats. |
Three correct melodies on a level unlocks the next. Your progress saves in your browser.
For Teachers
Every melody has a share link — copy it and every student who opens it hears the exact same melody. Use it for warm-ups on a projector, homework ("take dictation #4821, bring your answer"), or make-up quizzes. Levels 1–4 announce the starting solfège syllable, which makes them genuinely beginner-safe; from level 5 on, students are on their own ear. The trainer pairs naturally with our solfège flashcards (name the degrees) and the worksheet generators (write the notes) for a complete hear–sing–write loop.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is melodic dictation?
Hearing a melody and writing it in notation — the core skill of college aural-skills courses and the AP Music Theory exam. You hear scale degrees; you notate them.
Why solfège buttons instead of a piano keyboard?
Because the skill being trained is relative hearing: which scale degree was that, relative to Do? Entering degrees keeps your brain in that frame. (Each key also shows the actual note name for the current key, so you're always seeing real spelling too.)
Why does the staff show no rhythm?
This trainer isolates pitch — every note is played evenly, and standard pedagogy is to master pitch dictation before adding rhythm. Rhythm dictation is on the roadmap.
Do I need to sign up?
No. Everything is free, no account, and your level progress saves in your browser.
Keep Training
Dictation draws on skills you can drill separately: intervals by ear · triad quality · solfège · key signatures · note reading.