Find chords by listening a song

Find chords by listening a song

1) Try to recognize the sound of chords itself.

Min - Sad
Maj - Happy
Sus4 - sound suspended and need to be resolve
maj7 - sound dreamy
Sus2, 2, add9 - All sound very similar and gentle sound (Btw, it is not suitable to use these kind of chords in strong high energy praise song)
7 - sound exciting

2) It is sometimes difficult to distinct between some major chords and its corresponding minor 7th.

For eg. (for C key)
- G and Em7
- F and Dm7 etc...
In this case, listen if it is a minor or major sound.
[Minor - sound sad]
[Major - sound happy]

3) Bass line sometimes goes in order of the scale, either ascending or descending

For eg. (for C key)
- C G/B Am
- F C/E Dm etc...
(notice the descending bass line)
[Listening to the bass line can sometimes be easier than the whole chords.]
I usually listen to the main chords the first time, then the bassline the second time.


4) Try to familiarize yourself with those common chords progression and how it sound.

For eg. (for C key)
- C Am F G
- C G Am F
- C G/B Am
- Dm7 G C (common for ending)
- F G Em Am
- Em Am F G

5) Practice

The best way to get the correct chords is to keep practicing. Take 1 song and try to listen and find the chords yourself, then compared with a version that you know is correct. Check what you did right, and what you did wrong.