Training the Ear, Volume 2: Book & CD

This book treats ear training as the technical discipline it is, rather than a mysterious talent some students have and others don't. The accompanying CD grounds every exercise in sound, so students aren't left guessing whether they're hearing correctly. For intermediate jazz students struggling to keep pace with harmonic complexity, this volume is genuinely instrumental in building the listening foundation they need.

Methodical and focused. Each exercise isolates a specific harmonic element, building your ability to recognize intervals, chord qualities, and progressions with precision. The work feels structured but never tedious because every lesson directly applies to the music you're improvising and composing.

Intermediate jazz students with solid music theory training who are ready to develop real aural fluency, and advanced harmony students who need their ear to catch up with their theoretical knowledge. This also serves educators looking for a systematic, proven method to develop listening skills in a jazz context.

• Work through the exercises in sequence rather than skipping ahead. Each one builds specific recognition patterns that prepare you for what comes next.
• Listen to the CD multiple times before attempting to notate or identify intervals and chords by ear. Let your ear absorb the sound first.
• Sing or play the intervals and chord tones on your instrument immediately after hearing them. This closes the loop between ear and muscle memory.
• Use a practice journal to track which harmonic situations still feel unclear. Return to those specific exercises weekly until recognition becomes automatic.

Assign this as parallel work to your harmony curriculum for intermediate and advanced students. The exercises reinforce theoretical concepts in real-time and create a shared vocabulary for discussing what everyone is hearing in ensemble rehearsals and transcription work.

• Identifying intervals by ear with accuracy
• Recognizing chord qualities and extensions in context
• Hearing harmonic progressions and anticipating their direction
• Connecting theoretical knowledge to actual sound
• Building foundational skills for confident improvisation over complex changes