Chord recognition by ear
Press “New Question” to hear a chord. When choose the quality: Major, Minor, Diminished or Augmented.
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Press “New Question” to hear a chord. When choose the quality: Major, Minor, Diminished or Augmented.
The sound characteristics differ among chords depending of their quality (“happy”, “sad”, “restless”, “melodramatic”, etc.). Notice that these characteristics are imprecise and that we also hear the harmony in music dependent to the context, including how chords with various qualities are contrasting each other. Nevertheless, to distinguish chord quality, it's critical to recognizing the characteristic sound and intervals within a chord.
Major - Sounds “bright” or “open”.
Minor - Sounds “sad” or “moody”.
Diminished triad - Sounds tense, unstable (due to the lowered 5th).
Augmented triad - Sounds bright but unsettled (due to the raised 5th).
A guide to chord names and symbols ›