Ear training
Hear it, then play it back on your keys
KeyFu is a piano practice app for iPhone and iPad. Its ear training plays two notes or a chord, and you answer by playing it back on your keys.
Interval sets and chord sets come easiest first, and you can replay each sound as often as you like.
Practice with purpose. Play with freedom.
What KeyFu keeps, and what you choose
What KeyFu keeps track of
- Ear sets can come up under Ready for you in the library, from what you have played.
- After each set, the coach puts how it went into words, with no percentage.
- Finished sets count toward your progress.
- When your goal leans on Ear, the skill wheel marks it.
- Ear shows how well it is holding: still fresh, fading or a trace.
You choose
- Any set from the list, easiest first.
- Replay the sound as often as you like.
- Any starting key, and a chord’s notes in any order.
- Again for a fresh set, or Ask to talk it over with the coach.
- Leave a set at any time; one you leave early isn’t recorded.
The loop
Answer on the keys, not from a list
hear it · play it back · find out
Each item starts with a sound: two notes one after the other, or a chord played all at once.
Then the screen says Play what you heard, and you play it back on your keyboard.
Replay plays the sound again as often as you like. Your own keys always sound, so you can try things out before the item starts.
Let the sound finish first: keys pressed while it is still playing don’t count.
What you train
Intervals and chord kinds, easiest first
Interval sets ask about the distance between two notes. Chord sets ask what kind of chord you heard, such as major or minor.
Train your ear on the dashboard opens the list, easiest first, and each card says what is in it.
A reminder on screen lists the answers a set can have, such as major 3rd, the name of that distance.
Any key
Start from any key you like
You never have to find the notes the app played.
An interval counts by the distance between your lowest and highest note, from any starting key.
A chord counts by its kind, from any key and with its notes in any order.
Your answer counts once you have played as many notes as the sound had. Stop part-way, and the coach reminds you to play the rest.
Right or not
Find out at once, and hear the answer after a miss
A check mark and Yes — major 3rd means you got it.
A cross shows what it was and what you played. After a miss, the right answer plays again once your own notes have died away.
At the end, Set complete shows the coach’s words about the set, with no percentage.
Again plays a fresh set of the same kind, and Ask opens a chat with the coach about it.
Where it fits
Ear is one of your six skills
Ear, recognizing what you hear before you find it, is one of the six skills on your wheel.
When your goal leans on Ear, the wheel marks it with a goal ring. Like every skill, it shows how well it is holding: still fresh, fading or a trace.
The ear drills themselves are in Train your ear. Ear exercises also sit in the exercise library, where the button reads Train now.
Finished sets count toward your progress, and a set you leave before the end isn’t recorded.
Common questions
How does ear training work in KeyFu?
KeyFu plays two notes or a chord, and you play back what you heard on your keyboard. A check mark or a cross follows, then the next item.
Do I have to play the exact notes I heard?
No, you never have to find the exact notes: an interval counts by the distance between your lowest and highest note, and a chord by its kind, from any key.
What does KeyFu’s ear training cover?
KeyFu’s ear training has interval sets, about the distance between two notes, and chord sets, about what kind of chord you heard, such as major or minor.
Do I need a keyboard for ear training?
Yes, you answer on your keys, so Train your ear is dimmed until a MIDI keyboard is connected or a computer keyboard is attached.
Does ear training count toward my progress?
Yes, finished sets count toward your progress; a set you leave before the end isn’t recorded.
Join the beta
Invitations go out in small waves. KeyFu is free during the beta.
We send one confirmation email, then invitations in small waves. Without the tick we use your address only for the beta and the launch (privacy).
You need an iPhone or iPad and a keyboard that connects by USB or Bluetooth MIDI — most digital pianos do. What one session looks like.