We got a lot of practice with chords this chapter, and now we’re putting that to the test a bit with a chord listening game that features the C Major Chord and F Major Chord.

In “Chord Listening III” we…

-Practice identifying chords C Major and F Major just by their sound.
-Hand-sign along with the chords as we discover what they were!

Chord Listening III
If you’ve been keeping up with these lesson recaps and extensions, you’ve probably noticed a lot of listening games in this chapter. Here’s why…

When it comes to developing a sense of relative pitch or memorized pitch, learning to distinguish chords from one another is a big deal.

Almost everything we’ve done in Preschool Prodigies is in C Major. Therefore, the C chord is always the I chord, the F chord is always the IV chord (four notes higher), and the G chord is V (five notes higher).

However, if the song is in G Major, then G is the I chord. Four notes up (G A B C) and C Major is the IV chord.
Without getting too tangled up in the specifics, it’s worth knowing that this is how most musicians think about songs; as a pattern of chords related to a central I chord (the root or tonic).

For instance, a folk singer might call a “One Five Four in G,” and all of the musicians would know that the song is going to based largely on G (I) D (V) and C (IV).

But in some situations, you won’t even get a hint about how the song goes – musicians expect other musicians to play by ear.

Which is why familiarizing your learners with the idea of I, IV and V is so useful.

Last but not least, these three chords played in succession will sound all the notes in a given key. In other words, it’s a great way to center yourself for whatever song you’re about to sing.

What's Next?

We’ll practice a little more listening, this time with all three chords, the I, the IV and the V. Plus, we’ll have a bonus listening game with “What Chord Is It” featuring a very happy set of sailing bells!