This listening activity will help you learn to recognize chord progressions by ear. We have put together a list of beautiful popular songs that use the exact same chords that you're studying in IFR Jam Tracks Levels 2 and 3.
Pure Harmony Essentials playlist (just chords 1, 4, 5 and 6)
All of the songs in the list below use only the four chords that you are studying in IFR Jam Tracks Level 2: Pure Harmony Essentials. These are chords 1, 4, 5 and 6. (Note that some of these songs might not use all four chords.)
You can listen to each song on YouTube or Spotify to practice recognizing these four chords by ear. If you have a Spotify account, you can find all of these songs on our IFR Spotify playlist for Pure Harmony Essentials.
- Lean On Me by Bill Withers
- Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed
- Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
- Blowin' in the Wind by Bob Dylan
- Let it Be by The Beatles
- Stand By Me by Ben E. King
- Try Me by James Brown
- The Sound of Silence by Simon and Garfunkel
- I Won’t Back Down by Tom Petty
- Heart of Gold by Neil Young
- With or Without You by U2
- Viva la Vida by Coldplay
- Good Riddance (Time of Your Life) by Green Day
- Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
- Have You Ever Seen the Rain by Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Two Princes by Spin Doctors
- Dead Flowers by The Rolling Stones
- One Love / People Get Ready by Bob Marley
- Free Fallin' by Tom Petty
- One of Us by Joan Osborne
- All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix (written by Bob Dylan)
- Something in the Way by Nirvana
Pure Harmony Advanced playlist (all seven chords of the major scale)
The songs in the list below are made entirely from the seven chords of the major scale that you are studying in IFR Jam Tracks Level 3: Pure Harmony Advanced. So in addition to chords 1, 4, 5 and 6, these songs might also use chords 2, 3 and 7.
You can listen to each song on YouTube or Spotify to practice recognizing all seven chords by ear. If you have a Spotify account, you can find all of these songs on our IFR Spotify playlist for Pure Harmony Advanced.
- Ain’t No Sunshine by Bill Withers
- Hit the Road Jack by Ray Charles
- Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton
- Hey There Delilah by Plain White T's
- Spooky by Dusty Springfield (written by Mike Shapiro, Harry Middlebrooks Jr., James Cobb and Buddy Buie)
- I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James (written by Ellington Jordan)
- Knockin' on Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan
- Mr. Jones by Counting Crows
- Losing my Religion by R.E.M.
- Redemption Song by Bob Marley
- Wonderwall by Oasis
- Lemon Tree by Fool’s Garden
- Oye Como Va by Carlos Santana
- Baby Can I Hold You by Tracy Chapman
- Otherside by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Better Together by Jack Johnson
- High and Dry by Radiohead
- Use Me by Bill Withers
- Like a Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
- Sister Golden Hair by America
- Could You Be Loved by Bob Marley
- Everybody Hurts by R.E.M.
- Stay by Rihanna (written by Ekko and Justin Parker)
- Californication by Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Wicked Game by Chris Isaac
