Working out a song's chords by ear sounds like a gift some people have. It is mostly a method: find home, follow the bass, and try a small family of chords that belong together. Most pop, folk and rock songs use only a handful of chords, and they come from the same family.
01 Find home
Play the song and hum the note it feels like it wants to end on, usually the last note of the chorus. Find that note on your low E or A string by sliding up one fret at a time until your note matches the hum. That note is very likely the key, and its chord is the “home” chord.
02 Try the chord family for that key
In a major key, four chords do most of the work: the chords built on the 1st, 4th, 5th and 6th notes of the scale (I, IV, V and vi). In the friendliest guitar keys they are:
| Key | I | IV | V | vi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| C | C | F | G | Am |
| G | G | C | D | Em |
| D | D | G | A | Bm |
| A | A | D | E | F♯m |
| E | E | A | B | C♯m |
If the home chord sounds sad rather than bright, the song is probably in a minor key. Its family is the same set seen from the vi chord: a song in Em leans on Em, C, G and D.
03 Follow the bass
Listen for the lowest note under the band, not the melody. When the bass moves, the chord usually changes. Pick single bass notes along with the recording until you can follow it, then put the chord from the family table on top of each one.
04 Test every change against the melody
- Loop one line at a time. Strum your guess while the recording plays; a wrong chord clashes immediately, a right one disappears into the track.
- If nothing in the family fits, try the major version of a minor chord or the other way round, then the chord a whole step below home (F in the key of G), which rock songs love.
- Slow the recording down if you can. Chord changes are much easier to hear at a lower tempo.
05 When the key is awkward
If the song sits in a key full of barre chords, work it out in the easy key first, then put a capo on. A capo on fret 2 turns the G-family shapes into the A family, so you keep the open shapes and still match the recording.
06 Let the app draft it, then check it by ear
Soloist Guitar can give you a first draft: import a short audio file you own, play a riff into the microphone or hum an idea, and it writes chords and playable tab on your device. The free tier includes three imports a month. Treat the result the way you would treat a friend's guess, and use the steps above to confirm each change.
Related reading
Questions
How do I find the key of a song on guitar?
Hum the note the song wants to end on, then find it on the low E or A string. That note is usually the key, and its chord is the home chord.
Which chords are in the key of G?
The main ones are G, C, D and Em (I, IV, V and vi). Am and Bm also belong to the key.
Can an app work out the chords for me?
It can draft them. Soloist Guitar drafts chords and tab on your device from a short clip you import, play or hum; check the draft by ear before you rely on it.