Recognizing chords and degrees

The chord type

The exercise plays the chord one note at a time, then strums it. Start with the five chords you play most:

What to listen for:

• major or minor? The third: bright or dark.
• seventh or not? One more note, on top, that adds tension (7), softness (maj7) or suppleness (m7).
• 7 or maj7? The 7 wants to move; the maj7 could stay put for hours.

Then the unstable chords from step 3, and the sus4:

The progression

Four chords, in a random key. Recognize the progression by its path, not by its chords. You already know I-IV-V, I-V-vi-IV and ii-V-I; two new ones join them:

• I-vi-IV-V, the 1950s progression (in C: C, Am, F, G). A cousin of I-V-vi-IV, with the minor chord in second place.
• i-iv-V, the minor cadence (in A minor: Am, Dm, E). The V is major: it pulls hard toward the tonic.

1. Is the first chord major or minor? Two progressions start on a minor chord: i-iv-V (the second chord is minor too) and ii-V-I (the second one is major).
2. If not, is there a minor chord later? That’s the vi (I-V-vi-IV, I-vi-IV-V). No minor chord at all: I-IV-V.
3. Where is it? Third (I-V-vi-IV) or second (I-vi-IV-V)?

On real songs

Put on a song you love. Find the tonic (the note where everything comes to rest), then sing the bass of each chord: I, IV, V, vi? The progression appears. Then check it on the guitar.

You’ve got it when…

• You recognize major, minor, 7, maj7 and m7, 8 times out of 10
• You recognize the progression in 4 charts out of 5
• You’ve found the progression of a song you love by ear