Ear training

Ear training isn't really about "identifying notes" in a vacuum. What is more important is the context of the notes. So, intervals are important, as are chord types (Major 7, minor 7, Dominant 7, diminished 7, minor 7(b5), Augmented 7 (Dom7 (#5)), as well as chords with extensions, such as G7 (b9 b13) and voicings of these chords (i.e., root position, first inversion, second inversion, etc.).

Best to start with intervals, as all chords contain them. Once you can hear the following:

unison
minor 2nd
Major 2nd
minor 3rd
Major 3rd
Perfect 4th
Augmented 4th (also called the tritone and enharmonically equivalent to the b5th)
Perfect 5th
Augmented 5th
minor 6th
Major 6th
minor 7th
Major 7th
Octave, and feel comfortable with them, then you can move to chord identification.

Here's a website for interval training: http://www.musictheory.net/exercises/ear-interval

For chords, try this, although it is a bit challenging when starting out. This also has intervals as well as chords:
http://www.good-ear.com/servlet/EarTrainer

 

Big +1 on intervals, learn them, not only their names but how to hear the sonic difference, if you practice singing the intervals it will help immensely. You ear will be pretty decent after that.

 

Go to www.miles.be and read all the articles there. His software "Functional Ear Trainer" is very good and it's free. It has helped me immensely. His approach is not the traditional intervallic ear training, but is based on Charlie Banacos's ear training exercises.

 

Charlie Banacos is an ear-training wizard. I used to play with two guys who studied with him. That's some stuff, right there.

 

Yeah I wish I had the opportunity to study with him. It seems like he's taught everybody who's anybody in the music world now. Mike Stern studied with him and the word at Berklee was that Mike's ear is so great he can name 10 random simultaneous notes from lowest to highest after you play him a cadence. He doesn't have perfect pitch.

 

+1. That link is so great, thanks!

 

Singing the notes as you play them also helps a *lot*. I second the interval recommendation too.