Hearing Chords

[playhear]

Studying theory has helped my ear get better because I’m starting to get to the point where I can hear a chord and name it instantly. After I figure out the key, I can do a decent job with accompanying a song.

I don't naturally have a good ear. Last night though, I surprised myself. I was listening to a song on the radio and heard a chord progression that sounded cool. I sat down at my piano, figured out the key in about 2 seconds and just started playing the chords to the song. The chords were simple, but that was the first time I ever picked out the chords so easily.

[4hisglory]

I a similar......I'd be the first to say I don't have talent in this area but theory gives me the foundation that I need to start to play like I like.

[ernsum]

I'm still working on numbering my chord progressions, I'm learning songs and when I go back to replay them I forget some of the chords so I'm trying to apply the numbering system that 4hisglory and hearandplay have presented. I've only been doing this for a month. I practicing learnig scales. I can't seem to understand what I listening for or am I just learning what majors have sharps and flats. it gets confusing when a c major has all white keys but you can play black keys in c major or am I wrong?



Be Blessed

[jt3n1]

For a simple answer to your questions you can play all twelve notes in each key, you just have to know where and how!!! Now that being said, forget what I just said(for awhile!!!) and focus on your basic chords which would be triads(3 note chords like CEG). Now just using triads in a song, you would only play white keys, even with complex progressions!!! Now to look ahead again, if you are using black notes in the key of C, you would probably include the 7th and then kind of extension of the chord, for example, CEGBb is a dominant 7th chord. That is the quick answer for you right now.

[T-Block]

To add on to what jt3n1 was saying, once you get in a certain key, translate all the letters on the keyboard to fit that key.  If you playing in a key with sharps in the key signature, then your keyboard looks like this, for the most part:

C/B#, C#, D, D#, E, E#/F, F#, G, G#, A, A#, B

If you playing in a key with flats in the key signature, then your keyboard looks like this, for the most part:

C, Db, D, Eb, E/Fb, F, Gb, G, Ab, A, Bb, B/Cb

You get the idea?  If you translate all your notes into the key you playing in, then theoretically every note and chord you hit is in that key.