Module 20 — Finding Chords by Ear
This module completes the basic “play a song from memory” loop.
Module 19 was:
hear melody → find notes
Module 20 is:
hear harmony → find chords
The main idea is:
Do not try to identify every chord as a mysterious object. First hear function, bass direction, cadence, and melody fit.
20.1Start with the tonicBefore finding individual chords, establish the key.20.2First listen for function, not chord nameInstead of asking:20.3The most important three chords firstIn a major key, start by testing:20.4Listen for the dominantDominant is usually easiest to recognize because it has strong tension.20.5Cadences reveal chordsSuppose phrase ends very conclusively.20.6Listen for bass rootsOften the easiest way to identify a chord is not the whole chord.20.7Hum the bass lineWhen listening to a recording, ignore melody momentarily.20.8Bass + melody narrows the chord dramaticallySuppose you're in C major.20.9Melody note alone gives candidatesWe learned this in Module 7.20.10ExampleKey C.20.11Hear chord qualityTrain three basic qualities first:20.12Root first, quality secondIf a chord seems hard to identify:20.13Diatonic chord patterns helpIn C major:20.14Harmonic rhythmBefore identifying chords, determine:20.15Detecting a chord changeListen for:20.16Repeated melody doesn't imply repeated chordSuppose melody holds:20.17Moving melody doesn't imply moving harmonyConversely:20.18Start with roots onlyWhen transcribing a song, write something like:20.19Reduce complicated chordsIf recording has:20.20This is a fundamental transcription ruleRoot/function first. Extensions last.20.21Hear I versus viC and Am are related.20.22Hear IV versus iiF:20.23Hear V versus vii°G7:20.24Functional families simplify ear workInstead of seven chords, hear three groups:20.25A simple exercisePlay randomly:20.26Hear the bass degreesIn C:20.27Common progression signaturesYou will start recognizing patterns.20.28Bass-degree drillChoose C major.20.29Find chord by testing only likely candidatesSuppose:20.30Play candidate chords under the melodyIf you know melody note, hold it with RH.20.31Find cadences backwardSuppose phrase ends on C.20.32Backward hearing is powerfulAt a phrase ending:20.33Secondary dominants by earSuppose you're in C and suddenly hear a bright chromatic dominant.20.34A practical clueIf a chord sounds like a dominant 7 but its root isn't 5 of the main key, ask:20.35Borrowed chord by earSuppose song is in C major and suddenly F becomes Fm.20.36Chromatic bass cluesIf bass goes:20.37Inversions complicate bass listeningSuppose harmony is:20.38How to recognize inversionIf bass is B but upper notes sound:20.39Slash-chord ear trainingPlay:20.40Pedal bassSometimes bass stays the same while harmony changes above it.20.41Common-tone cluesSuppose you hear:20.42Hear the thirdOnce root is known, the third determines major/minor.20.43Hear the seventhRoot G.20.44Don't identify extensions too soonIf you hear:20.45Recordings can hide the rootIn real music:20.46Rootless jazz voicing exampleYou hear piano:20.47Chords are often implied across instrumentsBass plays G.20.48Start with solo piano recordings when trainingComplex productions make chord transcription harder because:20.49Use looped fragmentsTake 2–4 seconds of a recording.20.50Slow down mentally before technologicallyYou can use playback slowdown, but first try to subdivide the listening task.20.51Build a chord from outside inwardA powerful strategy:20.52Harmonic reduction exerciseListen to a sophisticated progression and reduce it.20.53Hear duration of functionSometimes several chords belong to one larger function.20.54Don't assume every non-diatonic chord is modulationYou hear E7 in C.20.55When modulation is likelyA new key is more likely if:20.56Ear exercise: major-family chordsIn C, randomly play:20.57Ear exercise: same root, different qualityPlay:20.58Ear exercise: same function, different chordIn C:20.59Ear exercise: tonic substitutionsCompare:20.60Your workflow for a real songWhen you want to figure out a song by ear:20.61Example reconstructionSuppose a melody in C has four bars and you hear bass approximately:20.62Make it richer only after confirmationMaybe recording actually uses:20.63Happy Birthday harmony exerciseFind melody by ear first.20.64A useful “wrong chord” testIf a chord technically contains the melody note but sounds wrong, ask:20.65Ear before theory, theory before guessingIdeal workflow:20.66You don't need “perfect chord recognition”Real musicians often infer harmony from:•Homework for Module 20In C, play random chords from:•Module 20 mini-test1. What should you usually determine before exact chord names?