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Repeat 5 notes
Five random notes from the scale.
Ear training: the target notes stay hidden until you have sung them.
Repeat 5 notes is the longest ear-training exercise in Clearsing: a random five-note melody drawn from the scale, played once at 100 beats per minute, then sung back from memory with the target hidden until you've finished. Five notes exceed what most people can hold as separate pitches, so the exercise forces you to chunk, hearing 2 + 3 or a motif with a tail. That's how singers learn real melodies quickly. 'Lah' keeps every note distinct without effort.
How to do it
- Listen to the five-note melody with full attention; hear it in two chunks.
- Sing it back right away on 'lah', keeping the piano's tempo, before the memory fades.
- Read the roll once the targets appear: which of the five went yellow or red?
- Notice the pattern across the five repetitions; the fourth note is a frequent casualty.
- Keep your voice light so attention stays with the ear.
Coach's tip: Split it into 2 + 3. Musical memory likes small chunks.
What to watch out for
Memory, not voice, is the bottleneck. Most singers drift after the third note, then guess at the last two, often ending on the wrong final note. Chunk it consciously: first two notes as one gesture, last three as another. Don't add vibrato or volume; both blur pitch reading. If the melody is gone, sing what you have cleanly rather than inventing an ending. When accuracy drops sharply, return to Repeat 3 notes; a good day at three beats a bad day at five.
Who it's for
For intermediate and advanced singers who want to learn material by ear. Use it near the start of a session while concentration is fresh, never when tired. Do Repeat 3 notes first as a warm-up for the ear; afterward, apply the skill to a melody such as Amazing Grace. It's the last step of the Ear program.
Part of programs: Ear
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