For example, you may wish you could pick up your guitar and play something by ear. Or maybe you’d like to learn and remember songs or scales more easily. Those things can come with time, but that won’t be enough. (You may have already proven that!) You’ll need to add in attention and intention. Fortunately, neither of those requires any more time than you’re already putting into your guitar practice.

In the first example, if you’ve been playing guitar for years and are still unable to use your ear to find the chords of a song, the reason is simple: you haven’t directed your attention toward the task in a specific enough way.

Listen!

Start by making an intention to listen to music with more awareness. If your goal is to find chords by ear, the next time you’re listening to a song, see if you can determine when the harmony changes. Don’t expect to get it right, just try, and then make it a habit to try every time you listen to music. The more you listen for chord changes, the more heightened your perception will become.

In addition to listening for when the chords change, listen for which chords sound major and which sound minor. Where do you hear tension and when does that tension resolve?  

Next, listen in the same way to the songs you play. If you want help with the process, check out this lesson on hearing major chords and this one with tips on hearing minor chords. (These are both in the Virtual Studio, so if you’re not a subscriber, you’ll need to sign up to access them.)

You’ll also want to be able to determine the root of the chord by ear. Strum a chord on your guitar and sing the note that seems like the root of the chord. You can check your answer by playing the root of the chord on your guitar. Again, don’t worry if you don’t get the right answer. Just keep trying and you will improve!

What Intention Will Help You?

Maybe you’re satisfied with your ability to find chords but you have a problem with rhythm. Or maybe you’re bored with the positions you’re using for your chords or want to hear some different voicings. You might not even know what’s causing your dissatisfaction—it can be tricky to self-assess.

I’ve noticed that most people tend to fixate on some small thing they see as a problem when there’s actually a much bigger issue that they’re unaware of. If you’re  unsure of where you need to place your attention, you might want to let me help. I’m happy to do that with Single Song Support or, if you prefer, in a lesson. Email me and we’ll find a solution!