Ear Training: Using A Pitch Pipe

Here's a simple ear training exercise to help your students learn to identify pitch. You can use a pitch pipe (sort of like a small kazoo with all the notes of the Chromatic Scale). Blow a note, and then ask the student to locate the note on the piano.

Our teachers have used pitch pipes in ear training exercises with students with good success. If the student is unable to identify the note, you can ask, "Is the note I'm playing higher or lower than the note you played on the keyboard?" Learning the difference between higher and lower is not as simple as it sounds for some students.

As your students get better, you can then play a note and ask them to stop on the note when they feel they've got the same note. If they stop on an incorrect note, you can ask, "Does the note you played sound the same as the note I blew, or different?" Don't hurriedly give them the answer; rather, make them work a little bit.

By doing this exercise with your students, you will help them sharpen their listening skills. They will begin to identify the correct notes faster, over time. Pitch pipes also help to introduce the concept of the octave - another difficult idea for many students to grasp.