Recognizing Chords by Ear

$150 | Lifetime access

Imagine being able to listen to any song and recognize all of the chords by ear. You could instantly play these songs in any key on your instrument. And you could improvise your own solos at jam sessions without even having to ask what the chords are. This is exactly what you will learn in this course.

Recognizing Chords by Ear

Imagine being able to listen to any song and recognize all of the chords by ear. You could instantly play these songs in any key on your instrument. And you could improvise your own solos at jam sessions without even having to ask what the chords are. It would even demystify songwriting, because you could literally hear how the songs are made.

This is exactly what you will learn in this course. Through step-by-step video lessons, audio practice tracks, jamming exercises and self-tests, you’ll learn to recognize the most important chords in popular music by ear. You’ll also learn a process that will enable you to keep growing in this ability for the rest of your life.

Everyone can learn to recognize chords by ear!

For a beginning improviser, being able to recognize chord progressions by ear is like having superpowers. No other skill can give you so much confidence in yourself so quickly. When you’re listening to music with friends and you’re able to recognize and understand the chords to every song, it’s an amazing feeling when you realize that you actually understand music! This can be just the boost you needed to really believe in yourself as a musician.

And it’s something that everyone can learn! This course is open to all instruments. Even if you play a melodic instrument that doesn’t produce chords, our lessons and creative exercises will allow you to feel and experience each chord for yourself. Through a combination of video lessons, audio practice tracks and creative exercises for both your voice and your instrument, you will discover the unique sensation produced by each chord and you’ll learn to recognize this sensation in the songs you hear.

Note: For this course you will need to be able to sing and recognize the notes of the major scale by ear. If you are new to the IFR method, we recommend that you first start with our video course Ear Training for Musical Creativity 1 so that you can master these foundational skills.

Immediate benefits to your playing

Play along with friends at parties and jam sessions without having to ask what the chords are.
Recognize the chords to your favorite songs and play them in any key on your instrument.
Gain a deeper appreciation for the beautiful chords you hear in the music all around you.
Discover how melodies and chord progressions work together so you can write your own songs.
Learn how to put your own chords to familiar melodies or to melodies that you compose yourself.

What makes this course different from other ear training programs?

Learning in a musical context. Every step of the way, you'll be hearing these chords in beautiful songs and chord progressions. So the connection to real music is very present right from the start. This is one of the biggest complaints that musicians have about other ear training programs. They get better at identifying random sounds in the context of a quiz, but they still can't recognize anything in the songs they hear on the radio. So it's important to hear and study chords in the context of actual music, and that's what we do in this course.
Creativity. We believe that the best way to master harmony is to experience it first hand. So in addition to the listening and singing exercises, you'll also be jamming with your instrument and exploring all of these sounds very deeply. You'll be improvising with the chord notes, playing melodies that connect the chords together, and you'll even learn to improvise harmony parts to accompany a melody. (This is a great ability to have in a band!)
Organized path. This course will immerse you in the feeling of the chords gradually, so every lesson builds on the abilities gained in the previous one. The key to any ear training is to go very deeply into the first few sounds until you can distinguish between them easily. This not only gives you confidence ("Hey, I can do this!") but it also serves as a jumping off point for recognizing everything else.

"Seeing musicians recognize chords by ear, chart a song, and then jam is what led me to picking up the guitar. It was magic. I couldn't fathom how they did it but I wanted to try. After diligently following this course's exercises to a T, it still feels like magic—but now I am the magician. It's been a revelation."

– review by Patrick Pineau — guitar, The Hague, Netherlands

Complete multimedia video course - 10 progressive units

This course is divided into 10 units of progressive difficulty. At each step of the journey, you’ll learn to hear the notes that make up each chord and you’ll learn to recognize the unique feeling of each chord in relation to the overall key of the music. And with each lesson I’ll guide you through new creative exercises that will let you explore each chord for yourself so that you can truly make it yours.

What's included in this course:

Video lessons. We'll explore each chord deeply and I'll show you how to recognize it by ear.
Audio lessons. You'll learn to hear and sing the chord notes across chord changes.
Jamming exercises. You'll be jamming with your instrument over backing tracks to explore each chord deeply.
Harmonizing melodies. You'll experience putting different chords to melodies so you can hear their effects for yourself.
Song analysis. We will analyze famous songs together and identify the chords being played.
Self-tests. Special audio tracks to practice recognizing chords by ear in an easy, progressive way.

10 main video lessons

Supplemental lessons

Song analysis videos

What students say about this course

"The 'Recognizing Chords by Ear' course is truly transformative. The method genuinely works, and I have started to hear and recognize chord changes in the music I listen to daily, which has deepened my connection to music in ways I never thought possible. The course is worth every penny, as it has not only accelerated my progress but also opened a whole new world of musical understanding. The IFR method has profoundly changed my life; even though I got a late start in learning music, it is empowering me to overcome that and dramatically improve, not just in playing the guitar but in truly experiencing and understanding music."

Anna SwindallGuitar — Mobile, AL, USA

“I am studying for at least an hour a day, and I’ve made incredible progress. Mireia, your videos have been exactly what I needed to put it all together. I have been able to combine them with other IFR materials, and things are clicking. I’m hearing the sounds in my head. I can also actually hear the chord that’s happening with very little effort now. I thought this was a superpower that some people had or didn’t have. Now I know that, although it is a superpower, it isn’t just bestowed on someone—we can work at it to get that superpower."

Kristopher SutterMandolin — Macon, GA, USA

"This course is absolutely amazing and has far exceeded my expectations! As a beginner piano player and aspiring musician, one of my primary goals has been to be able to play by ear. The integrated step-by-step method taught in this course has been a real game changer for me. Since taking this course, I am now able to hear and recognize chord changes and commonly used chord progressions being played in all types of actual songs from different genres, including blues, jazz, Latin, pop, reggae, etc. Through this course, I also now have a rock-solid process for continuing to develop this skill on my own. I highly recommend this course to anyone seeking to enhance their ear training and chord recognition skills."

Brenda LoganPiano — Inglewood, CA, USA

"Tonight I was driving home when 'Werewolves of London' from Warren Zevon started playing on the radio. After a minute or so, I caught myself unconsciously thinking 'this is a 5 4 1 progression playing over and over'. I was so glad because I could not imagine myself doing this 2 months ago. I’m saying all this as a brief thank you—for the marvelous course and your support."

Giorgos GavriilGuitar — Athens, Greece

"I began the course as a complete skeptic and soon I realized that it IS possible to learn to recognize chords by ear. It just takes patience and practice. I learned how to feel the difference between different chords, how to test my assumptions, and how to begin to hear the different parts of musical arrangements and how they fit together. I learned how to internalize the sensations of each chord and how to use my instrument to support but not dominate my ear. I particularly enjoyed learning how to improvise over various chord progressions, something I still try to do every day."

Shanna RatnerGuitar — Fairfield, CA, USA

"Seeing musicians recognize chords by ear, chart a song and then jam is what led me to picking up the guitar. It was magic. I couldn't fathom how they did it but I wanted to try. After diligently following this course's exercises to a T, it still feels like magic—but now I am the magician. It's been a revelation."

Patrick PineauGuitar — The Hague, Netherlands

I have taken several other approaches to ear training which leaned on explanations that sometimes even required mental calculations to "figure out" the chords. However, the hallmark of the IFR method is the deep dive: total and repeated immersion in the actual sounds, the raw materials that make up our beloved art form. This practice was by far the deepest learning I have ever experienced. The Recognizing Chords by Ear course carried me so far into the sounds of these chords that now I not only hear music with my brain...I feel it with my body. It was only by marinating in these sounds that they truly came to life for me. I learned that the chords that make up all the music around us are not just abstract symbols to be analyzed. Rather, I experienced them as distinct sensations, evoking feelings, and having unique "personalities" which can be recognized and adapted in an artistic way. I can truly say that I am now a more confident and complete musician.

Theo PrimasSaxophone — New Jersey, USA

What students say about this course

"I LOVE the methodology that IFR has created. Daily I am walking my dog in the parks of London, singing along to each week's "Sing the Numbers" tracks or just relaxing and listening to the "Feel the Numbers" tracks. Then when I go to play my sax (or noodle around on the piano), my body has simply internalized the location and feeling of the numbers and their relationships."

Samantha GrahamSaxophone — London, UK

"I’ve enjoyed this course enormously and I really believe it’s changed me. Music feels incredibly exciting now, even more so than before."

Jamie WhiteClarinet — Mataró, Spain

"Truly, this course was transformational. I have received more musical growth from this course than any other book, course, or class I have ever taken. I now understand the way music WORKS in a very practical way. This has enabled me to play songs in ANY key and to be able to play songs without looking at the notes at all. I give Mireia and this course the highest rating I could possibly give."

Karla HuntsmanVoice and piano — American Fork, USA

"Mireia is an excellent teacher who makes ear training enjoyable, even fun! The material is superbly paced, with steady consolidation, reinforcement and development from multiple angles. This course has produced very noticeable improvements in my understanding and given me a real boost in confidence."

David WrightGuitar and chapman stick— Scotland, UK

"The Ear Training course has given me the biggest and most exciting hearing breakthrough so far."

Steve LeeUpright bass — Exeter, UK

"For the first time in many years of trying to solo, I can hear and execute musical lines, however simple they may be.”

Noah LandesGuitar — Brooklyn, NY, USA

Learn from a professional musician and experienced teacher

Mireia Clua is a professional violinist based in New York City and the co-founder of Improvise for Real. Mireia is the creator of the entire IFR ear training program including our “Sing the Numbers” audio courses. She created all of the learning materials for this course. She has personally taught hundreds of IFR students in live workshops, and she has more than 20 years of experience teaching music to both children and adults. Mireia is especially focused on creating a safe learning environment where each student feels respected, nurtured and encouraged.

Get this course free with your membership!

When you join, you’ll have complete access to our entire library of video courses, audio courses, jam tracks, and ear training lessons. Everything works together as one unified method to help you master the art of musical improvisation.

Your membership is completely risk-free. Explore everything IFR has to offer, and if you don’t feel it’s the right fit within your first 30 days, just send us an email and we’ll refund your payment in full — no questions asked.