Ear Training and Chord Changes
I'm a beginner with no musical background or ability and have progressed heaps on counting through a 12 bar blues, timing, tapping my heel. But i am struggling on really working out the chords by listening to a backing track. Some I can pick up and there is one at the moment where i know what chord I'm in by counting and I still cannot differentiate between a IV chord and a V chord. Also unless I have the backing track really loud whilst playing the harmonica, I cannot hear it.???
I've tried to just listen to the backing track to pick up the changes without counting; as was suggested by an expert(cannot remember who)
Can you suggest how I approach this?
I'm currently on LOA 1; trying to work on TB as I have been LP beforehand.
Loving your course and material. Very professional and comprehensive
Search facility on forum would be a fantastic improvement
Thanks
Tom
Hi Tom,
I hope you don’t mind another student adding some thoughts on this. I did not have any musical background when I started learning here, so hearing things like cord changes was difficult for me as well. I was well into Level 3 studies before many things started coming together. In the beginning there was just too many new things to learn, but over time it all starts to sink in. In the beginning my mind just could not process it all at the same time. It wasn’t until I got to the end of Level 3 that for the first time, I stated to feel musical.
The level 1 Study song is an 8 bar chorus which I find more difficult to hear some of the cord changes. The first cord change going from the I to the V is an easy one to pick out, but after that it was all mush to me. Once you get to the 12 bar choruses in level 2, I think you will find cord changes a lot easier to hear.
As David said, listen to the music. Listen to each instrument all the way through the song. You may find that some instruments will telegraph a cord change is coming up by doing something special one or two beats before the change ( I think I first noticed this in the level 2 study song.) Also start listening to blues (or any music) throughout the day with a sense of learning. Listen to the beat; once you have it listen for the cord changes. It won’t take long, and you will start hearing them.
Hang it there, things will sink in and start to come together over time. I can’t tell you the number to times I thought something was impossible to learn and then one day and after many days or weeks of practicing I wake up and it just works.
Brian in Tennessee
Thanks Brian for your advice
I always love any constructive feedback. Will keep plodding on.
The one backing track I've been listening to is just guitar.
Hello Tom, I'm glad that you're enjoying your studies.
This is a skill that will grow better as your training continues. Because you're not actually creating the chords on your instrument (like a guitarist), this is an area that is more vague and challenging to hear (this is why many harmonica players, at some point in their journey, learn to play another instrument of the band).
With this said, yes, you can improve this skill with practice.
I recommend you dig into the Accompaniment series of lessons now. As an accompanist, you'll be responsible for the form.
Also...
When starting a new song, listen to the entire song focused on the drums...listen many times until you can beatbox what you're hearing.
Then listen to the bass (good headphones, or speakers with good bass, will help)...again, until you can vocallize in a basic way what you're hearing.
Do the same for the guitar.
Do the same for the piano.
By focusing on each voice of the band, you then create a summed mental image of where the chord changes are, and how the instruments commonly pay pickups to help you out (sometimes this is very subtle, and other times very obvious).
In regards to hearing the difference between a IV or V chord... this wil be down the road. When you learn how to play arpeggiated chords on the harmonica (your bends have to be good... this is LOA-L6 level), then you can play what you KNOW to be a IV or V over the band to check what chord it is.
Make sense?