Chord progression ear training

Why hear progressions in a groove?

In real songs, chords never arrive as isolated block chords. They come with drums, a bass line and a rhythm part. Learning to follow the harmony inside a groove is what lets you work out songs by ear, join in at a jam, and hear where a song is going next.

How to practise

Start with the Diatonic palette and four chords. Listen to the bass first: it plays the root of each chord, so the bass line alone tells you most of the story. Then listen for the colour: I, IV and V sound major, while ii, iii and vi sound minor.

The first chord is always I, and many progressions come back to I, V or vi at the end. Replay the progression as often as you need, and use undo to change an answer before the last chord.

Progressions worth knowing

A handful of progressions carry a huge amount of popular music: I–V–vi–IV, I–vi–IV–V, vi–IV–I–V, I–IV–V–I and ii–V–I. Once you can hear them in a groove, you will start recognising them in the songs you already know.

Four grooves, real instruments

Choose Pop, Rock, Ballad or Funk, each with its own tempo and feel, or Piano only for a simpler sound. Every groove is played on recorded instruments: a real drum kit, an electric bass, and piano or acoustic guitar, which you can switch in Customise along with harder palettes, from borrowed chords to secondary dominants.

Frequently asked questions