47 Ear Training – Systematic Listening in Harmonic Dictation

Three-Chord Progressions

Here is an example of the type of three-chord progression we will study this week.

Systematic Steps

• Big-picture listening: “I’m listening to the overall color of the progression. All the chords sound like major triads.” (Remember this, it’s important.)

• Bass note possibilities: “Now I’m focusing my listening on the bass voice. Sounds like do-re-mi. Do in the bass? Probably chord I. Re in the bass? Could be chord ii… Wait, chord V also has re in it… To have re as the bass note, it would have to be in second inversion – V^6/4. Mi? The most likely explanation is chord I⁶. Because it’s not chord iii. Chord iii is very unlikely, plus, it’s a minor chord and I already established all the chords were major triads.”

• Chordal analysis using logic: “If the third chord in the progression is I⁶, then the second chord in the progression can’t be chord ii, because ii can’t go to I.” (Why not? See the table of chord progressions in Unit 9.)

• Soprano notes and confirmation of hypotheses: “I hear mi-re-do. That makes sense, because mi is part of I, re is part of V ^6/4, and do is part of I⁶.” (Theory behind this: the “passing 6/4” that we see in the above example is one of three very specific uses of the second inversion triad. We’ll get to the other two – pedal and cadential – in due course.)

• Use final hearing to check work. “Are my analyses consistent with the pitches I’ve notated?” “Are my chord identifications consistent with the rules about chord progressions?”