Find The Chords To Any Song On Guitar In 3 Steps (Without Tabs or Sheet Music)

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Have you ever seen those musicians that can just listen to a song once and figure the whole thing out? Being able to figure out the chords of a song by ear is a skill many new guitarists think is reserved for geniuses and prodigies — but it’s actually really easy! In this lesson, I want to show you a 3-step system that will have you finding the chords to just about any popular song without the help of tabs or sheet music.

We’ll start by going over two important music theory concepts — you can watch the full videos for those here:

Once you’ve got that down, we’ll get into the 3-step system. The first step involves finding the key of the song using a moveable major scale shape. Step two will have you placing a chord roadmap so you know which guitar chords occur in the key of the song. Finally, in step three, you’ll listen to the song and pick out the correct chords from your roadmap.
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Chapters:
0:00 - Intro
0:34 - Prerequisite #1: Finding the note names
2:00 - Prerequisite #2: The major scale
3:13 - The Major/Minor Formula
4:55 - The moveable roadmap (same shapes in any key)
8:31 - Step 1 - Identify The Key
9:20 - A quick example
11:01 - Step 2 - Apply The Roadmap
11:34 - Step 3 - Listen & Locate
11:53 - 3-Step System Summary
12:07 - Song Example #1
13:25 - Song Example #2
15:26 - Why can pros do it so fast?
15:43 - Song Example #3
17:16 - Songs with multiple chord progressions
17:47 - Non-diatonic chords
18:14 - Why playing by ear is so important
18:58 - Outro
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Music Credits:
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License

#musictheory #playguitarbyear #findchords

[ryujinzzz]

This video is like that moment when your teacher has to explain it over and over again but it took your friend once to explain it. Everything about this video is perfect, thank you! Can’t wait for the non-diatonic video

[stratixmedia]

Been a campfire guitarist for 15 years. I could read tabs in real-time, play any chord, and memorized a few songs. After playing that long, I had always felt like I was missing something; like I was just going through the motions. It finally occurred to me that even though I could play my instrument, I didn’t have the slightest understanding of why anything worked the way it did. I was stuck for years at the same level because I had no means of learning past that point.

I’ve recently taken a dive into music theory. I’ve grown more in the past 6 months than I have in the last 6 years, and I owe it to YouTube instructors like you.

[foREVerWiech]

13 years playing guitar and it’s the first time I actually understood music theory, this is awesome

[andysavage]

Dude...mind blown. Even though I've had a guitar in my hands for many years off and on, I've always struggled with understanding this. I play with the choir at church and I always have to explain to the pianist that I cant play by ear. Brother, I cant wait to put this knowledge to use! I feel like you've opened the door for me. Thanks!

[simplesandy]

My partner who just passed away two years ago at 69 years old was a professional musician. He could pick up the guitar and play any song any song by ear. In any key. Rest in peace Mike Scott Tracy

[Sully]

20 yrs of playing...never had someone explain it so thoroughly. great stuff. thanks

[samgee]

What a gem! Not too fast, not too slow—just clear and concise, useful information. So hard to find and so appreciated!

[SpaceGhost]

It's so rare to find no nonsense information. Fantastic job of explaining how to flesh out chord progressions in any key.

[Replyingg]

You just don’t know how hard it is to find a video like this being a self taught guitarist, Thank you❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[bigdemi]

This video deserves a million views. I've scoured Youtube for every video on beginner music theory and this was by far the best demonstration of how to actually apply these concepts. The examples at the end were invaluable. Huge thumbs up.👍

[Dramirez]

I’m a teacher, and I have to say that the way you lesson planned this video should be used as an exemplar to anyone aspiring to teach. Thanks for encapsulating what took me years to figure out. Thanks again.

[seanmillington]

I have been playing guitar off and on for years and have never had the whole chord progression thing explained so succinctly and clearly!

[Vctorius]

I started to play the guitar in December, 2021. I immediately fell in love with it.

Since then, I have literally watched hundreds of videos in the subjects. I have to admit this particular video is by far the most precious of all, provides a priceless practical tip none of my three teachers have told me. Now I understand how major scales and corresponding chords are built.

A big 'AHA' experience.

Instant sub, thank you.

[swel]

I think you are one of the best instructors out there. All this YouTubers who called themselves "Tutors" need to learn from you. Instead of teaching, they like to show off what they can do. You break it down and made it look easy. That's encouraging. I cannot Thank you enough.

[jameylewis]

Been playing for 7 years and I’ve been stuck with this topic. By FAR, the best explanation and lesson on this topic I’ve ever seen. Thank you!

[CaptainJack]

Stuck for thirty years. You've just made the penny drop. Thanks so much!!!!

[jacktuber]

This is great stuff! Starting out I'd try to seek out all the I, IV, V chord progression songs, there are millions. Get going with those and then add the others after. Also, for me, to know how to play the melody by ear gives me a step into getting the chords. Love this lesson. A secret built in skill here, learn all this and then toss out the capo, you won't need it.

[amateurphotographer]

You are so generous for sharing the magic and explaining it so well! I have been playing the guitar on/off for 20+ years but I always rely on tabs/chord sheet. This video is like a light bulb moment for me! Big thanks!

[guyhanoi]

Amazing video. 11 years I (try to) play the guitar, but I never understood how the scale construction is being done. This video really is the first time that I am starting to understand the theory behind the music, and that feels like it can be a major breakthrough for me. You explained it so eloquently that it was easy to understand. Thanx for that. You earned a subscribe!

[PrincernPrince]

OMG! I have been listening to play by ear and reading for a long time and have never picked it up. This demo and explanation from you really is letting the secret out of the bag. This makes so much sense and so easy to follow you are a master teacher this is great.