Chord Recognition Ear Training

Chord Recognition Ear Training

Q: I recently purchased the Ear Training One Note Complete. It is an interesting method and I look forward to improving my hearing. It seems your ear training technique goes on to cover 2 notes, 3 notes etc but I wondered why you don’t teach ear training for chords?Is being able to hear individual notes the same skill required to identify chords? For example, if I can hear and identify the A note in the key of C, does it necessarily follow that I will also be able to identify the A chord in the same key?

I am keen to learn how to play totally by ear and I want to train my ear to be able to hear and identify chords so I know which chord to harmonize the vocals with.

A: Hearing chords is partly being able to hear one note and partly being able to modulate because sometimes chord progressions modulate. To give you a simple example of how to use the Ear Training One Note Complete training in a chord situation where there is no modulation let’s say you have the chord C major. So when you hear the C, E and G it will sound like the root, 3rd and 5th. Let’s say the next chord is A minor, which then returns fairly quickly to C major (if we stay too long on A minor we might modulate). So the notes of the A minor chord A, C, and E will sound like the 6th, root and 3rd. Getting to the point that you can hear this way will require you to work completely through the Beginning, Intermediate and Advanced CD from the Ear Training One Note Complete Method. It will also require you to work through Key Note Recognition and get a good handle on the 2 note books along with Fanatic’s Guide to Ear Training and Sight Singing Guide which will help you improve quickly. Sometimes students are able to apply the skills learned with the one note method directly to chords, sometimes it takes longer for the skills they learn with the one note method to penetrate their multiple note abilities. To be able to play chords on the spot to a singer singing notes obviously requires a very quick access to knowing what notes you are hearing and transferring that information through your music theory skills to decide on what chord would be appropriate. I would also recommend you improve your music theory skills to help you in this process. I would recommend Music Theory Workbook for All Instruments. which will give you exercises to improve instant recognition of what notes are in what chords which is essentially chord recognition.

It is also recommended that you read Bruce Arnold’s Blog at his artist site. It contains more discussion of the musical topics found in these FAQs as well as other subjects of interest. You will also find the “Music Education Genealogy Chart” located here which shows you the historic significance of the music education products found on the Muse Eek Publishing Company Website.