UD#127 Learn a Song from a Recording!
UD#127 Learn a Song from a Recording!
from Ukulele in the Dark with Guido Heistek
Once you know the key of a song, the first chords to try, in terms of learning the song by ear, are the diatonic chords in that key.
The diatonic chords are the chords that are formed with each note of a scale as the root.
For example:
C major scale notes = C, D, E, F, G, A, B, C
C major chord set = C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, (Bdim)
The diminished chord in brackets is so rare in pop music that I will leave it out of the chord set discussion for now. It will be back later!
The major chord set is always the same pattern in every key:
MAJOR, MINOR, MINOR, MAJOR, MAJOR, MINOR
Here is the chord set for C major:
Notice that each chord has its own roman numeral: Upper case for major, lower case for minor.
And, here is the chord set for A major:
Now, let’s try and figure out the chords to a song in the key of A!
Here is a really famous one by Adele: “Someone Like You”
HINT:
There are three main sections…
1. INTRO and VERSE up to 58 seconds:
For this section she uses the I, iii, IV and vi chords. (A, C#m, D, F#m) Not necessarily in that order!
2. Next is the PRE-CHORUS from 58-113 seconds:
Here, she uses the IV, V and vi chords. (D, E, F#m) Again, not necessarily in that order!
3. Next is the CHORUS from 113-150 seconds:
She uses the I, IV, V and vi chords. (A, D, E, F#m) Yes, again, not in that order.
Here is the song! The answers are below. Have fun.
ANSWERS:
INTRO + VERSE
| A | C#m | F#m | D |
PRE-CHORUS
| E F#m | D |
CHORUS
| A E | F#m D |
That’s all for this time. I hope you enjoyed the lesson!
Guido