JPF Home Page Forums Musician Gear and Techniques Music Theory and Education Recoginize chords?

Hey Mike!

Being a pro piano tuner for 31 years has me hearing more than chords!

Realy though, before that, at 7 through 10 years old, I was trained by my accordion teacher to hear everything I was reading and playing. He said to "play by heart", and know what and why certain chords gave off a certain mood for any given song, (in so many words of course). I didn't really know what he meant then, but I could pick out all the chords he would play, (after time), as well as their inversions, (starting with the root note as the chord's first name sake.

I haven't kept up that practice of it, as when being taught once a week, but I guess it comes by second nature now, with playing in past bands and figuring the chords out for the band, tuning pianos, with all the intervals I have to check, (beats and all), and just from hearing and playing songs for years and looking down at my fingers and seeing what I'm playing as I'm hearing it.

So, yes. (in so many words!) augs, dims, 6ths, maj7ths, 9ths, with out without the 7th, Ha! Etc. Just don't play one note from nothing and ask me what it is. I have trained relative pitch, but not perfect pitch. (That was the first thing the piano tuner old timer asked me,,,if I had perfect pitch. When I thought I wouldn't get the job by rightfully admitting I didn't,,,he said something like "Good, you got the trainee job"! He said that my good relative pitch is what's best for piano tuners, since some pianos can't be tuned in pitch for various reasons, but can still be tuned in relative pitch, (like a quarter step down or more,,,or even some players that want theirs a certain way, sharp of flat of A-440. I tuned some in A-442 by ear for the European concert players, (some called themselves pianists). I wanted to say, "that's a shame,,,,they do have bathrooms here"!

John