# Test your musical ear... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 22, 2006, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445 "2006-11-22T18:11:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![feppytweed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/feppytweed/32/4280_2.png) [@feppytweed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feppytweed)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/21 "2006-11-22T22:42:00Z")
83.3% seems rather popular… that’s what I scored as well. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/22 "2006-11-22T23:18:26Z")
97.2% - no training in anything. ---
**Author:** ![Eureka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/74df32/32.png) [@Eureka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eureka)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/23 "2006-11-22T23:29:57Z")
69.4% ---
**Author:** ![Mindfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mindfield/32/19759_2.png) [@Mindfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mindfield)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/24 "2006-11-22T23:41:06Z")
Eek. 72.2%. And I’m a musician, too – compose by ear, to boot. (I can read music for the most part, I just don’t) I think some of it was that I have a terrible short-term memory when I’m actively trying to remember something. For whatever reason I’m much better at absorbing information when it is allowed to just sink in subconsciously. I tried doing some of these by impression – that is taking the overall feel of each phrase and comparing them against each other. I think that worked better. ---
**Author:** ![robardin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/43a26b/32.png) [@robardin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robardin)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/25 "2006-11-22T23:47:22Z")
[QUOTE=DeVena] 83.3% Correct [/QUOTE] Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![George\_Kaplin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3e96dc/32.png) [@George\_Kaplin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/George_Kaplin)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2006, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/26 "2006-11-22T23:59:50Z")
80.6%. It’ll do. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/27 "2006-11-23T00:02:37Z")
80.6%, and my friends run screaming when I threaten to sing. I’m quite pleased with myself. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/28 "2006-11-23T00:06:18Z")
[QUOTE=Tastes of Chocolate] 86.1% and I’m willing to be that most of my misses where ones that were the same, but I marked them as different. I think I was trying to listen for much more subtle differences then there really were. [/QUOTE] I got the same: 86.1%. I also thought I was looking for more subtle differences, so who knows. I am also an on-again, off-again musician, but I’ve never thought of myself as having an exceptional ear, just a decent one. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/29 "2006-11-23T00:11:06Z")
80.6% for me as well, **Mr. Excellent**. And I’m taking voice lessons. Q ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/30 "2006-11-23T00:15:04Z")
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon] 97.2% - no training in anything. [/QUOTE] Wow. Not bad. I got 88.9% on the second try. I don’t know what I answered differently, and I’m wondering which 4 are screwing me up. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/31 "2006-11-23T00:20:52Z")
[QUOTE=AHunter3] 83.3% I kept wanting to say “umm, play them again!” dangit. [/QUOTE] Exactly the same score and same reaction. I sing, have sung in choirs, and play several instruments (in a mediocre fashion), all just for pleasure. When I was a kid I was taken out of music classes and put into “exceptional ability” tuition. How things have changed… ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/32 "2006-11-23T00:39:28Z")
88.9%. I used to be in choirs and stuff. Some of those were tricky though, ---
**Author:** ![AntaresJB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c2a13f/32.png) [@AntaresJB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AntaresJB)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/33 "2006-11-23T01:02:01Z")
[QUOTE=pulykamell] Wow. Not bad. I got 88.9% on the second try. I don’t know what I answered differently, and I’m wondering which 4 are screwing me up. [/QUOTE] If you click the arrow near the top labeled “More” at the end and go past the bar graph of percentiles, it will show you a list of the ones you got correct and incorrect and what percentage of people got each one correct. I got an 88.9% and I’ve got a B.A. in Music with a concentration in voice. It was mostly the ones with more percussion-like sounds that threw me, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/34 "2006-11-23T01:02:22Z")
I scored a sad 69.x%. I’ve said, for the last few years, that my ear isn’t what it used to be. When I was a teenager I could put on a song and have it figured out on guitar (rhythm guitar or bass parts, not solos) fairly quickly. Nowadays I’m completely stymied, even when attempting to relearn something I figured out way back when but haven’t played in many years. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/35 "2006-11-23T01:24:41Z")
83.3%. I play keyboards by ear as a hobby but that’s it. So who’s going to organize this summer’s **83.3DopeFest**? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/36 "2006-11-23T01:41:42Z")
Sadly, I scored a 61.1%. That’s possibly because I wasn’t paying that much attention (doing this at work–all the folks gabbing over coffee) or my hearing’s finally shot. I do sing, I’ve performed in choirs for which one must audition, and I’m learning two instruments (bagpipes and harmonicas). ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/37 "2006-11-23T01:44:12Z")
86.1, but someone was IMing me repeatedly. I’ll wait a few days and try again. I play a few instruments, and used to do some transcription. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/38 "2006-11-23T02:00:32Z")
[QUOTE=Anastasaeon] 97.2% - no training in anything. [/QUOTE] Me too. I play guitar and used to sing, but I think I did well because I suffer from listen-to-it-istis (which is a curse). I think most folks can tune background music out. I can’t . In fact, I can’t _not_ listen to ambient music, no matter how insipid or terrible it is. Makes life miserable this time of year, I can tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Not\_a\_Platypus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@Not\_a\_Platypus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_a_Platypus)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/39 "2006-11-23T02:03:23Z")
80.6% In a way I’m disappointed, but at the same time I did better than I thought. The only singing I’ve done was in elementary school (and no musical instruments), so all things considered, that’s not too shabby. ---
**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2006, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445/40 "2006-11-23T02:11:41Z")
86.1 here… I’m actually thrilled with that, because I’m losing my hearing! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/test-your-musical-ear/381445.md?page=3)