The Piano Tuner's
Ear Training Starter Kit
Everything a complete beginner needs to start developing their tuning ear — in one free, practical guide designed by a professional piano technician with a PhD in Neuroscience.
- 🎵 10 foundational ear training exercises — from silence to beats
- 📊 Complete beat rate reference chart for equal temperament
- 🔧 Your first tuning workflow — a step-by-step beginner checklist
- 🧠 The neuroscience of aural learning: how your ear actually improves
- 🎹 Interval guide: what each interval sounds like and how to hear it
- 📅 A 7-day listening practice plan to start immediately
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Most beginners start with the wrong question.
They ask: "What tool do I need to tune a piano?"
The real question is: "How do I learn to hear what's happening?"
Aural piano tuning is a skill — not a piece of hardware. It lives in your ears, your memory, and your nervous system. And like any physical skill, it has to be built in the right sequence.
This Starter Kit gives you that sequence. Seven days. Practical exercises. The exact concepts you need to understand before you touch a tuning lever.
Designed by Eathan Janney — PhD in Neuroscience, professional piano technician, and creator of the 88 Lessons podcast series.
From Eathan Janney
"I've spent years teaching piano tuning — in person, in online courses, and now through this podcast. The biggest obstacle every beginner faces isn't coordination or patience. It's not knowing what to listen for."
"This kit solves that. It gives your ear a target. Once you know what beats sound like — really sound like — the whole craft becomes learnable."
How the 7-Day Plan Works
Each day builds on the last. You'll move from basic listening awareness to hearing actual beats — the core skill of aural tuning.
The Silence Exercise
Train your attention — the foundation of all listening.
What Is a Pure Tone?
Learn to distinguish a single pitch from a complex sound.
Unison Listening
Hear the difference between two slightly different pitches.
Your First Beats
Detect the pulsing that tells you two strings are out of tune.
Interval Recognition
Identify octaves and fifths — your tuning landmarks.
Beat Rate Practice
Count beats per second — the measurement tool of the trade.
The Full Workflow
Put it all together in your first simulated tuning sequence.
Continue with the 88 Lessons podcast — free, daily, sequential.
Ready to Start Listening?
The Starter Kit is completely free. Enter your email below and it arrives in your inbox immediately — along with the first lesson of the 88 Lessons podcast series.
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Free Podcast
88 daily episodes — free forever. Start from Episode 1 and build your ear over 90 days.
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Not sure where to begin? The Start Here page walks you through every path — beginner to pro.
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Extended episodes, deep technical instruction, quizzes, worksheets, and AI-assisted ear training.
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