Play Chords By Ear Mini-Course
Recap and Next Steps
Congratulations on finishing the “chords by ear” mini-course!
You now have the knowledge and the starter skills you need to play thousands of popular songs by ear.
Recap
Here’s a quick recap of everything we covered in the 6 days of the mini-course:
- In Lesson 1 you learned about how exactly “playing by ear” works and how you can learn to do it.
- In Lesson 2 you met the I, IV and V chords and why they are the key to playing songs by ear. You used the handy key chart to figure out what those chords are in some common keys.
- In Lesson 3 it was time to begin learning to recognise the I and IV chords using the training and test tracks. You also practiced listening out for the I chord in a real song.
- In Lesson 4 you extended your chord recognition skills to the V chord, using the V7 chord as a helpful stepping stone. You applied your new skills to a real song which has a I-IV-V-IV progression.
- In Lesson 5 the realistic I-IV-V practice tracks let you connect your new skills with real musical styles including rock, dance and solo guitar. You also tried jamming along and improvising over I-IV-V chord progressions.
- In Lesson 6 it was time for the final challenge: to play 3 songs by ear!
Well done, you’re off to a great start!
Don’t stop now. Here are some next steps to keep you improving and extending your new chords-by-ear skills…
Next Steps
Modules
The material in the course was based on Musical U training modules. Explore each of the modules featured in the course:
Chords By Ear Roadmap
You might want to fill in some gaps in what’s been covered so far, or understand where to go next to develop a full ability to recognise chord progressions by ear.
The free mini-course was based on a small part of the overall Musical U Roadmap for learning to play chords by ear.
Take a Tour
As you explore these possible next steps you may find yourself wanting to know more about Musical U and how it all works. We’ve created a 5-minute video tour to let you peek inside:
Even More…
We’ll also be sending you some more information and tips by email, as a courtesy to help you continue to improve your skills.
Did you enjoy starting to play chords by ear? We’d love to hear about your experience with the mini-course! As always, just leave a comment in the “Discussion” area below.
Discussion
Musical U membership includes full personal support and guidance on your training.
Although we can’t provide the same level of in-depth coaching as part of this free course, please post any questions you have in the comments below and we’ll do our best to help!
Start Playing By Ear
Chord Progression Recognition
Progression Practice: I-IV-V

