Same here!

I think I passed level 4 today 😅

No kidding. Was already hard enough, now that I'm level 6 it is introducing diminished chords, it's a nightmare

Congratulations! I too feel like games have their own difficulty curve. It helps with morale to have some that move more easily at a given time. I don't have a sight reading background, Notationist does come handy when looking at sheet music now.

I’m also finding the inversions to be especially hard. Are there any ToneGym special exercises available to get better or does that take work outside of ToneGym?

@Thomas Folks : The best thing is to have a keyboard nearby and use it as a crutch to start with. Listen for the low note in the chord and match it on the keyboard. Then, since the game gives you the name of the chord, you will be able to determine the position of that low note within the chord, and thus the inversion. Meanwhile, if you are playing other games that train you to hear harmonic intervals, you might start being able to hear the interval between the top and the bottom note and use that to differentiate without matching the note, slowly kicking the crutch away. For instance, for a major chord, the low-to-high interval is a P5 for root position, m6 for 1st inversion, and M6 for second inversion. Other types of chords, like diminished and augmented, will have the same interval for two inversions, so then you'll have to start listening for internal intervals.

TL;DR: The games reinforce each other, and don't be afraid to use whatever crutches you need at the start to make progress. The game is a means to an end -- the primary goal is to improve your ear. Do whatever it takes to meet that goal.

@Thomas Folks I completely agree with @Victor Wilburn about using a keyboard as a crutch. It's also a great opportunity to practice chord types / inversions on keys. I tend to use it as I use the boey/jokers (first I try without) and then I use it if I am stuck. When I use my keyboard I start with playing the root. which is given in the chord name. Then I try to decipher the interval going from it to the lowest note of the inverted chord, or the highest one. Either one works, and they can confirm each other. Hope it helps!

@Thomas Folks additionally you can use the Chord Player from the Soundgym toolbox. There are options to hear the inversions of any chord there.

Great suggestions! I really appreciate the help.👍