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Get a greater grip on harmony

Learn to figure out seventh chords by ear by with 27 songs.

"You can get as many or as few hints as you want. It's almost like working with a teacher. I really like it."
- Nick

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Harmony is like the emotional fabric of music.

As soon as that first chord rings out, you immediately get a sense of the mood of the song.

I’ll admit: I’m a sucker for a great chord progression. Which is why I’m excited to share this course with you.

This course picks up where ‘Make Your Ears Awesome: Chord Progressions’ left off and where we really start to explore richer harmonies.

One of the first tools songwriters reach for to infuse a song with extra harmonic color and emotion: seventh chords.

So in this course, we’ll be figuring out chord progressions by ear that include seventh chords. To be precise:

  • Dominant Chords
  • Major Seventh Chords
  • Minor Seventh Chords

I’ll introduce each of these seventh chords with a lesson that shows you what to listen for and what that particular seventh chord might sound like to you. Then, of course, we’ll go ahead and practice figure out some songs with that seventh chord in it! In the last section, we’ll mix things up and figure out songs that have several seventh chords in them. Check out the course overview below for more detail.

I could never identify chords by ear, but after a few lessons I was feeling very confident and doing great with it.

- Sean

How it works

You'll be learning chord progressions by ear using this interactive chord tool.
I designed this tool to make sure you never get stuck. Here's how:
1
Hints and instructions with every song
To steer you in the right direction.
2
The Show First Chord button.
Just in case you need a starting point.
3
Check Your Answer
Got it right? Congrats! Not yet, keep going and..
4
Change Your Answer and Check Again.
Check as many times as you like!
5
Really stuck? Hit the Show Next Chord button.
This reveals just one chord at a time, so you don't have to spoil the whole song, just because of one tricky chord!
I found myself getting quite addicted to this chord progression tool. I've never been great at identifying notes/chords by ear, but by the time I was a few songs in, I could identify the chords much quicker than when I started.

- Mark, from the UK

Enroll Now

This course is exclusively available to StringKick All Access Members. Join today and get access to every course on the site!
All Access Annual
$ 180 / year
Get 3 months free!
Access to All StringKick Courses including:
All Make Your Ears Awesome courses
All Guitar Chord Bootcamp courses
Strumming Skills Bootcamp
Music Theory from Scratch
Ask Unlimited Questions
Cancel Anytime in three clicks
30-Day Guarantee: Love it or get a full refund
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All Access Monthly
$ 19 95 / month
Access to All StringKick Courses including:
All Make Your Ears Awesome courses
All Guitar Chord Bootcamp courses
Strumming Skills Bootcamp
Music Theory from Scratch
Ask Unlimited Questions
Cancel Anytime in three clicks
30-Day Guarantee: Love it or get a full refund
Get Access Now
I am a typical self-taught-youtube-era kinda guitar player. So I always avoided transcribing by ear and just googled tabs. And when I did try to transcribe by ear I was quickly lost and frustrated... Your courses are just right for my situation because they provide good song examples and useful hints. So keep it up, I really like your stuff!

- Anne, from Germany

Course Overview

Section 1: Dominant Chords

We’ll start with the bluesy dominant chord. But the dominant is used in so much more than just blues. We’ll see the dominant chord in six songs.

Section 2: Major Seventh Chords

In section 2, we’ll hear the lush, bittersweet, happy/sad sound of major seven chords in action in five songs.

Section 3: Minor Seventh Chords

Our last seventh chord is the minor seventh. A subtle addition to minor chords that removes some of the drama and gloominess and adds a more relaxed, everything’s-not-that-bad feel to it. You’ll figure out five songs featuring minor seventh chords.

Section 4: Spot that Seventh

In this section, you’ll figure out six songs. They either use dominant chords, major seventh chords or minor seventh chords. But I’m not telling which!

Section 5: Mixing it Up

The final challenge! We’ll check out six songs that mix up the various seventh chords we’ve seen so far. You’ll hear how the combination of seventh chords create wonderfully rich harmonies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Below are some questions you might have! Any other questions? Feel free to email me at any time at just(at)stringkick.com

What artists are the songs by?

This course features songs by Echo and the Bunnymen, Cold War Kids, Nouvelle Vague, Alicia Keys, Death in June, America, J.J. Cale, U2, Queen, Kings of Convenience, Sharon van Etten, Neill Young, Does it Offend You Yeah?, Jenny Lewis, Eric Clapton, Madeleine Peyroux, DJ Shadow, Elliot Smith, Lovin’ Spoonful, John Hiatt, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Arctic Monkeys and Broken Bells. Hopefully you'll discover some new favourites!

What format is the course in?

The course consists of 32 lessons, structured into five sections. Each section starts with a lesson that explains a little about what you'll be learning next. Then, we'll figure out out a bunch of songs by ear together. On each songs I'll provide some hints, instructions or advice. You fill out what you think are the correct chords and check your answer. The course automatically keeps track of where you are, so just jump in wherever you left off, whenever you have the time.

What chords do I need to know for this course?

Your basic open chords. So to be precise that’s: E, Em, F, G, A, Am, C, D and Dm. The seventh chords you need to know are: E7, A7, B7, C7, D7, Fmaj7, Amaj7, Cmaj7, Dmaj7, Em7, Am7, Bm7 and Dm7.

How is this course different from the other 'Make Your Ears Awesome' courses?

All these courses focus on figuring out songs by ear, but there's a difference in difficulty. Here's the order I recommend:

Level 1: Kick-Starter
Level 2: Riffs and Melodies and Riff Hall of Fame
Level 3: Chord Progressions and Essential Sevenths

You can take all the courses with the All Access Pass.

What if I don’t like the membership?

Simple: if you decide the membership is not for you, you’ll get a full refund within 30 days. No matter the reason.

How do I figure out a song by ear?

I've written an in-depth, step-by-step guide on how to learn songs by ear. Check it out here! If you have any specific questions, leave a comment on that page or email me: just(at)stringkick.com.

I have a different question.

Feel free to email me at just(at)stringkick.com if you have any questions!
Inner Music Skills for Guitar Players

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