Improve your ear for harmony

Identifying chords isn’t a random skill for musos – it’s a connection between what’s in your head and what comes out of your guitar! The better your ear for harmony, the easier it is to create the sounds you’re after, whether you’re writing your

own songs or jamming for fun. Train your ear with our exercises below. Each time, you’ll hear three chords. Your task is to identify the chord type. Don’t worry about pitch (some chords are in A; some are in C) – it’s the particular flavour you need to identify.

1 Basic chords

TRACK 18

A5: Strong, neutral and without much emotional character This should be fairly easy. The difference in the moods of these chords is quite clear. Listen to the audio track and see if you can tell which order they appear in.

2 7 th chords

TRACK 19

A major 7th: Smooth, mellow, relaxed

A dominant 7th: Edgy. Associated with blues and rock ’n’ roll

A minor 7th: Reflective, but not as moody as a pure minor chord

A little more challenging than before as the chords become richer sounding. Still, the difference should be identifiable as long as you listen carefully.

3 Sus chords

TRACK 20

A7sus4: Harmonically more complex than other sus chords

Asus2: Strong, but more colourful than a powerchord; Suspenseful, but less than a sus4

Asus4: Suspenseful, like it wants to resolve back to a major chord

Sus chords are fairly easy to identify when played next to major or minor chords. However, they’re tough to pick out amongst other sus chords. Listen closely!

4 Unusual chords

TRACK 21

A diminished 7th: Jazzy and mysterious. Useful as a passing chord between major, minor and dominant chords

minor7 b5:

A Tense and bluesy. Like a minor 7th, but with added dissonance

A minor 6th: Scary. Almost a horror film vibe. Easier to jam around than a dim7

These are tough, tough, tough! Tell these apart and you’re at guitar ninja level. Just check the answers and try again another day if you struggle.