Learning chord changes by ear didn’t always feel natural to me.
Before a long hiatus from playing, I approached transcription with a forensic mindset. I’d zoom in on a single chord, obsess over its exact quality, and refuse to move on until I could label it perfectly. Was it a major chord with a 9? A dominant 7? Something altered?
What I eventually noticed was that this level of detail killed my momentum.
By the time I figured out one chord, I’d lost track of the form, forgotten how sections connected, and disconnected from the sound that made the music work in the first place. The process felt analytical, but the results didn’t stick.
In this article, I transcribe the chord changes to Tonight, Tonight by ear using the process I use now—one that prioritizes form, tonal center, and singing before ever touching my instrument.
Why My Old Way of Learning Chord Changes Didn’t Stick
My earlier approach looked something like this:
- One chord at a time
- Maximum accuracy before moving forward
- Heavy focus on chord quality and extensions
- Instrument in hand as early as possible
On paper, this sounds disciplined. In practice, it led to a fragmented understanding of harmony.
I wasn’t hearing harmonic rhythm—how often chords change. I wasn’t hearing musical form—where sections begin, repeat, or resolve. And most importantly, I wasn’t internalizing the sound.
The information lived on the instrument, not in my ear.
The Shift: Learning Harmony the Way I Learned to Draw
The breakthrough came when I realized something simple.
When I learned to draw, I didn’t start with eyelashes.
I started with:
- Big shapes
- Proportions
- Overall structure
Only later did I worry about detail.
I now approach learning chord changes by ear the same way.
Instead of asking, “What exactly is this chord?” I ask, “What role is this sound playing in the bigger picture?”
That shift changed everything.
The Three Things I Listen for First (Every Time)
No matter the song, style, or instrument, I focus on three things before I ever pick up my bass.
1. The Form
The first question I ask is simple:
How often do the chords change?
I listen for:
- Phrase length
- Repetition
- Section boundaries
- When something feels familiar again
This gives me a structural map. The form becomes a container for everything else I hear.
Without this, harmony feels random.
2. “Home” — The Tonal Center
Next, I listen for what feels like home.
Not the chord name. Not the key signature.
Just the place where the music wants to rest.
That tonal center becomes my reference point:
- Every other chord relates back to it
- Tension and resolution make sense
- Root motion becomes easier to track
Finding home is less about theory and more about tonal gravity—where the music naturally settles.
3. Singing Everything
This is the non-negotiable part of my process.
I sing:
- The tonal center
- The root motion
- The harmonic movement between sections
If I can’t sing it—even approximately—I don’t move on.
And if I can’t sing it, I don’t pick up my bass.
Why I Avoid the Instrument Early On
Picking up the instrument too soon is tempting. It feels productive. It feels like checking your work.
But I noticed a pattern:
When I play before I can sing the harmony, the sound doesn’t stick.
My fingers start leading instead of my ear. Muscle memory replaces listening. And whatever I “figured out” disappears a day later.
Singing forces audiation—hearing the music internally.
That’s what builds real retention.
I’m not a singer. That’s not the point.
The point is internalizing the sound deeply enough that it lives without the instrument.
Charting “Tonight, Tonight” at a High Level
When I finally charted out Tonight, Tonight, I kept the rules intentionally simple:
- Roman numerals only
- Uppercase for major sounds
- Lowercase for minor sounds
That’s it.
I didn’t worry about:
- Chord extensions
- Alterations
- Exact voicings
- Note names
I focused on function, not labels.
By staying at this high level, the harmony stayed connected to the form instead of turning into isolated facts.
The Payoff: Playing the Song in Any Key
Here’s the real benefit of this approach.
Because I learned:
- The form
- The tonal center
- The harmonic movement
I didn’t memorize a list of chords.
I learned structure.
That means I can now play this song in any key with minimal thought. The relationships stay the same. The sound stays familiar.
That’s musical fluency—not recall.
Why This Process Matters More Than This Song
This article isn’t really about Tonight, Tonight.
It’s about a repeatable way to:
- Learn songs by ear
- Hear chord progressions more clearly
- Internalize harmony instead of memorizing it
The same listening order applies to any tune:
- Form
- Home
- Singing
- Instrument (last)
Details can come later—if they’re even needed.
Explore more ear-first fundamentals in my Bass Fundamentals section.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need strong music theory to learn chord changes by ear?
No. You don’t need advanced music theory to learn chord changes by ear. In fact, starting with too much theory can slow the process down. A more effective approach is to focus on form, tonal center (“home”), and whether you can sing the harmonic movement. High-level listening—such as hearing major vs. minor sounds and tracking root motion—is often enough to internalize a song before worrying about chord names or extensions.
Why is singing so important when learning chord changes by ear?
Singing forces you to internalize the sound instead of relying on finger patterns or muscle memory. If you can sing the root motion and feel where the harmony resolves, you’re developing true audiation—the ability to hear music internally. This makes chord changes easier to remember, easier to transpose to other keys, and much more transferable to new songs, including tunes like Tonight, Tonight.
