u/Crazy_Satisfaction13

I've been noticing something interesting in ear training that I don't see discussed enough: the importance of integrating note color and tonal function instead of treating them as separate skills.

A lot of ear training approaches focus heavily on one side or the other.

Some train mainly relative pitch — hearing notes through their function, scale degree, and relationship to the tonal center. In this approach, notes are understood mostly by context.

Others focus on fixed-note recognition or pitch identity — where each note develops a unique sound quality or "color" that can be recognized independently.

What I've been realizing is that these two perceptions do not have to compete.

In fact, integrating them seems incredibly valuable.

When hearing a note, there can be two things happening simultaneously:

1. Its unique pitch identity ("color")

   The note has a distinct sound quality that feels recognizable on its own.

2. Its tonal function

   At the same time, the note relates to the key and carries tension, stability, motion, or resolution.

For example, hearing F# in G major may involve both:

- the recognizable identity of F#

- and its role as scale degree 7 pulling toward G

These aren't mutually exclusive perceptions. The pitch can sound uniquely itself and function within the tonal system at the same time.

Something I've noticed in my own training is that if I answer random-note exercises too quickly, I may identify the pitch but not fully experience the relational aspect. Slowing down allows both systems to become active together — the note still has its individual color, but its functional relationships also become clearer.

This makes me wonder if ear training becomes stronger not by choosing between "absolute" and "relative" hearing, but by allowing both perceptions to integrate naturally.

Curious if others here have experienced this too. Do you hear pitch identity and tonal function simultaneously, or does one tend to dominate your perception?

I used to believe absolute pitch was just about memorizing isolated notes.

For a long time, I trained by identifying the 12 notes repeatedly, expecting my brain to eventually “lock in” perfect pitch. But something unexpected kept happening: my relative pitch constantly tried to create tonal centers and understand notes through relationships.

Over time, I started noticing patterns.

Some keys felt much easier than others. Certain chord progressions became instantly recognizable, while others still felt unstable. That was the moment I realized my brain was building tonal stability before true absolute recognition became consistent.

Then something changed.

Music started to gain “color.” Songs I had listened to hundreds of times suddenly revealed details I had never consciously noticed before. Harmonic movement became clearer, and even random sounds started carrying recognizable identities.

One of the biggest realizations in this process was understanding that pitch recognition doesn’t always feel like “measuring frequencies.” Often, notes feel more like unique identities or sensations.

I also realized that relative pitch and absolute pitch are not enemies — they seem to reinforce each other. Sometimes harmonic function, chord tension, or the bass note helps guide my brain toward faster pitch recognition.

Now my training feels less like “guessing notes” and more like building an integrated auditory perception where note identity, harmonic relationships, and auditory memory are slowly connecting together.

I still struggle with some things, especially identifying imagined melodies or recognizing pitches instantly across every timbre, but the difference compared to the beginning is huge.

This journey made me realize that developing pitch perception is probably much more gradual and adaptive than most people think.

My perfect perception is getting awesome even while I'm listening to songs, but it feels strange to hear the chord progressions.

Can I practice regular relative pitch chord progression training, or is it going to make my PP weak again ? Some chords progressions I'm able to identify them easily together with PP, not sure why some are easier or how should I train it now.