Chord-progression identification by ear trains hearing each chord's function as a harmonic sequence unfolds

This exercise plays a full chord progression and asks the listener to identify each chord in turn (as roman numerals or chord names). It goes beyond single-chord quality recognition: the listener must track harmonic function across time — hearing that a chord is the IV, that the next one is a V pulling back to I, that a vi is a deceptive substitute for I. This is the ear skill behind working out a song’s changes, and it depends on holding the key centre in memory while each chord’s tension and resolution are judged relative to it. It is harder than single-chord identification because context and memory, not just timbre, carry the answer.

Examples

Hear a four-chord loop and write I–V–vi–IV. The vi sounds like a ‘sadder relative’ of the tonic; the V creates the strongest pull home. Practice with tonedear.com/ear-training/chord-progressions.

Assessment

Transcribe a four-chord progression as roman numerals after the key is established. Then explain why a vi chord can substitute for I in a deceptive cadence and how that sounds different from a true resolution.