Tone bills itself as a perfect-pitch trainer, but you don’t need lofty musical ambitions to enjoy using it. It turns a basic ear-training exercise (in which you try to identity a note that’s played after hearing a reference tone) into a beat-the-clock game. It’s handy for budding musicians or anyone who aspires to belt out a harmony to “Happy Birthday” at a family gathering.
The app starts each round by playing a reference pitch so your ears can get their bearings. Then it plays another note selected at random. Your goal is to tap the name of the note before the time runs out.
The faster you go, the more points you earn. But be careful – make three mistakes, and it’s game over.
Tone keeps things easy at first. By default it plays one of just five notes – C, D, E, F and G. But you can modify the settings to increase the challenge, if you like.
Expand to a full eight-note major or minor scale, or a 12-note chromatic one. If you’re feeling confident, lift the one-octave limit and let Tone choose notes spanning up to three octaves.
If you’d rather not be subjected to the pressure of the timer, turn on Practice mode and listen and ponder for as long as you need.
So can Tone bestow upon you the coveted gift of perfect pitch? You’ll have to work at it! And the app makes attempting to acquire that skill a lot of fun.