Tell me the chords please

[Shortfinger]

We saw this act ten days ago in Franklin, TN and this tune was a standout.

I cannot read music, know no theory, and simply cannot figure the chords to a song listening to it. But I can play most anything, strumming, I can see if chords are given.

Starts in G, sounds like.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGP1...&t=100s&loop=0

[JonPR]

You just want the chords from that time-stamp (1:40)?

|G - - - |Em - D - |G - - - |Em - D - |

|G - D/F# - |Am - - - |D - - - |

|G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |

|C - - - |Em - - - |Am - - - |D___

That takes you up to the break at 2:25.

[DCCougar]

Originally Posted by JonPR

You just want the chords from that time-stamp (1:40)?

Would be interested in how you determined the chords. Just by listening, or....?

[Shortfinger]

Originally Posted by JonPR

You just want the chords from that time-stamp (1:40)?

|G - - - |Em - D - |G - - - |Em - D - |

|G - D/F# - |Am - - - |D - - - |

|G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |

|C - - - |Em - - - |Am - - - |D___

That takes you up to the break at 2:25.

No, sorry, but thank you.

I did not know I was setting it to the mid-song time. I meant it to start from the beginning.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by DCCougar

Would be interested in how you determined the chords. Just by listening, or....?

Listening, assisted by Transcribe! software to help me listen. https://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html I.e., to enable easy looping and playing along, not to actually identify anything.
In this case, I found the chords pretty easy to hear without any assistance, but I always like to use that to be 100% sure (rather than 95%...).

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by Shortfinger

No, sorry, but thank you.

I did not know I was setting it to the mid-song time. I meant it to start from the beginning.

OK!

Verse
|G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |
|G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |G - D/F# - |Em - - - |
|Am7 - - - |D - - - |

Chorus
|Em - D - |G - - - |Em - D - |G - - - |
|Em - D - |G - D/F# - |Am7 - - - |D* ____ |
|G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |G - - - |Cmaj7 - - - |

That repeats, and then its more or less up to where I started last time.

Occasionally the chords sound a little more interesting than that - eg., maybe an add9 on the C or the Am; maybe a 7th on the Em.

*There seems to be an add4 (G) on the D in the break, first time; i.e., he seems to arpeggiate this shape: x-5-4-0-3-x.

[Bob from Brooklyn]

I think everyone should practice transcription. This song uses most of the cowboy chords. Print out a lyric sheet and grab a pencil. The more you do it the better you'll get.

[tbeltrans]

Some other tips for figuring out the chords by ear...

Determine the key that the tune is in so that, knowing simple diatonic theory, you know what chords to expect. You can do this in several ways. One is to find a note that seems to work with everything you hear in the tune (well, more to it than that, but that would be another post and this idea is a good starting point). Another is to listen to the last notes of the tune and determine that chord since a tune usually ends on the tonic.

Listen to the bass since it usually lays the root at the beginning of a measure and on chord changes.

Learn simple diatonic theory so that you know what chords go together in a key. This will help minimize the "hunt and peck" method of finding the chords.

As JonPR mentioned - Transcribe! to slow down and loop a tune, since this software can also handle videos as well as MP3s.

As BrooklynBob said, practice transcribing tunes because it is only by doing it that you get better at it. After a while, you will begin to recognize the sound of a major chord and that of a minor chord as well as dominant chords, making the whole process that much easier.

Tony

[stokes1971]

Originally Posted by JonPR

Listening, assisted by Transcribe! software to help me listen. https://www.seventhstring.com/xscribe/screenshots.html I.e., to enable easy looping and playing along, not to actually identify anything.
In this case, I found the chords pretty easy to hear without any assistance, but I always like to use that to be 100% sure (rather than 95%...).

I downloaded the free 30 day version of transcribe! Only problem is it will take me 30 days just to figure out how to get a song into the program.I am computer illiterate and the lack of clear directions with this will have me deleting this program very soon.

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by stokes1971

I downloaded the free 30 day version of transcribe! Only problem is it will take me 30 days just to figure out how to get a song into the program.I am computer illiterate and the lack of clear directions with this will have me deleting this program very soon.

If you have an audio file on your hard drive (MP3 etc), you can just open it with Transcribe. (Right click, Open with...)

If not - it's on youtube or somewhere - you can record it with Transcribe as it plays. Click the microphone button to get a record window. When you stop recording, just click OK to open a transcription window.
But the problem there - for the computer illiterate (and I'm not exactly highly literate myself) is if you don't see any level when the track is playing: then you need to fiddle with your sound device controls, or select a different device in the drop-down menu in Transcribe's record window. There are good instructions in the Help file.

Personally, I've always found this program the most transparent and user-friendly of any program of any kind that I've ever used. But then you do have to be able to get it working to start with...

[Retired1]

I try to do everything by ear when I can and what has been helpful to me in finding the chords - is to play the melody and watch where the note are for each few notes before the voice change and often I can see the shape of the chord for those notes.