Hearing ChordsLearning to name a chord and a progression by ear.MusicBuilds on interval training — chords are intervals stacked.1Major vs minorOnly these two, until it is instant. The third is the note to listen for.2Add diminished and augmentedBoth are unstable; diminished sounds tense, augmented soundsunresolved.3SeventhsDominant vs major 7th. One wants to move, the other does not.4Bass movementFollow only the lowest note through a progression. It carries thefunction.5Name progressions in numbersI–V–vi–IV, not C–G–Am–F. Numbers transfer to every key.PRACTICE SOURCEUse songs you already knowFind the root by hummingCheck on an instrument afterwardsAbsolute pitch is rare and not required. Relative pitch — hearing therelationships — is learnable by anyone.Hearing Chordslearnposters.com
Hearing Chords — printable music wall chart from LearnPosters. Free vector PDF, US Letter and A4.

Hearing Chords, step by step

Builds on interval training — chords are intervals stacked.

  1. Major vs minorOnly these two, until it is instant. The third is the note to listen for.
  2. Add diminished and augmentedBoth are unstable; diminished sounds tense, augmented sounds unresolved.
  3. SeventhsDominant vs major 7th. One wants to move, the other does not.
  4. Bass movementFollow only the lowest note through a progression. It carries the function.
  5. Name progressions in numbersI–V–vi–IV, not C–G–Am–F. Numbers transfer to every key.

Practice source

  • Use songs you already know
  • Find the root by humming
  • Check on an instrument afterwards

Absolute pitch is rare and not required. Relative pitch — hearing the relationships — is learnable by anyone.

Questions about the Hearing Chords poster

What’s on the Hearing Chords poster?
5 numbered steps, with a full worked run-through. Builds on interval training — chords are intervals stacked. Major vs minor — Only these two, until it is instant. The third is the note to listen…; Add diminished and augmented — Both are unstable; diminished sounds tense, augmented…; Sevenths — Dominant vs major 7th. One wants to move, the other does not.; Bass movement — Follow only the lowest note through a progression. It carries the fun…; Name progressions in numbers — I–V–vi–IV, not C–G–Am–F. Numbers transfer to every key.. Absolute pitch is rare and not required. Relative pitch — hearing the relationships — is learnable by anyone.
Who is the Hearing Chords poster for?
Hearing Chords belongs to the Music section rather than to a school year, because music is not something one grade owns. Anyone learning ear & practice can pin it up — a beginner, a student mid-course, or someone revising years later.
When should you use the Hearing Chords poster?
Identify the quality first, then the function. Major or minor before I or IV. A wall chart earns its place by being glanceable from where the work is happening, so Hearing Chords belongs on the wall where that music work actually happens, within glancing distance, rather than filed away.
What other posters go with Hearing Chords?
Interval Ear Training, Memorising Music and Performance Nerves sit alongside Hearing Chords in the Music section. Printed together they make a wall rather than a single sheet, which is how a reference set actually gets used.Interval Ear TrainingMemorising MusicPerformance Nerves
Is the Hearing Chords poster free to download and print?
Yes. Hearing Chords downloads as a free PDF with no account, no email and no watermark, like everything else in the Music section. Print as many copies as you like for a home, a classroom, a library or a tutoring group; reselling the file is the only thing the licence rules out.Read the licence
What size does the Hearing Chords poster print at?
Hearing Chords is a vector PDF laid out for US Letter, and prints on A4 with Fit to page — the same file, no separate download. Because every mark on it is drawn rather than photographed, it stays sharp enlarged to A3, A2 or A1 at a copy shop. Colour carries emphasis only, so a greyscale print of Hearing Chords loses nothing.Printing guide

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