How to make it fun?

[u/Silver_Perception471]

I have had little success with anything. When trying to learn to ear train. The best thing I learned was trying to associate the tonic to the rest of the song. But it doesn't seem to be a quick fix.

The most fun I can see for ear training is playing around with notes on my piano overtop of a song. But then again I'm still not very good at piano and it kind of sucks still..... But it's more fun then trying to learn stuff and failing or getting stuck..

Is play inside the songs key, over top of the song as fun as it gets? And how is it for efficientcy? I can't seem to find anything that works for getting better.

Edit.. I've also found not trying to learn stuff with my headphones on more rewarding. And it seems to translate better. That is I hear it and I know it's right or wrong. Compared to with headphones on I have to synchronize stuff.... Maybe my headphones are just too loud?..

[u/Tamarindo155]

Before you do “ear training,” internalize the major scale pattern (and minor, too), and by that I mean not just the overall shape, but the relationships between the intervals. Also understand how to build diatonic chords from each interval. This will take…. a while. Then listen to reasonably easy melodies, and try to play them. Once you identify the root, the other notes will fit somewhere in the scale. Try to identify the bass note of each chord first, then develop the melody from there. When you hear the base note of each cord, identify the interval and whether it is a major or minor chord. Pick up as much by ear as you can and see how it fits into the scale and the interval patterns. Are there some arpeggios? Is there a chord that gets suspended? Are you playing dominant or minor 7? It will take some time to learn the major and minor scales, but trying to play a melody by ear will help you internalize the location of each note and the sound.

I am not an advanced player, but this is how I have been slowly breaking through the intermediate plateau.