Can anyone hear chords in their head?

Post Reply New Topic

Can anyone hear chords in their head? I can hear the individual notes in my mind's ear(like mind's eye, except for auditory stuff), but not the chords. I have to find a keyboard for that. Sometimes, when I'm falling asleep I can, or once when I had a really high fever, but otherwise, I can't. Am I alone on this subject?

I hear chords, melodies, and rhythms in my head all the time.

It gets old sometimes because I can't get away from them.

I can hear music in my head, but I'm nearly illiterate as to writing music. I can't hear chord differences, or progressions unless they're obvious.

^ Same!

I compose my music in my head so yes. It's so great to have a musical imagination isn't it!

Wow that is incredibly awesome! I am a French horn and trombone player, and I wonder if I used to be able to, because hearing music in my head kept me awake at night for a while when I was younger.

I think I can hear chords, but I'm also nearly illiterate musically. I wish I could sing chords instead of individual notes. Now, that would rock!! !

I hear both the individual tones and the chord as a whole at the same time. It depends on what I focus on, but often I hear the middle tones the strongest. That may have to do with the fact that I'm an alto and have sung in a choir for many years. At the same time, I'm also aware of rest of the chord and perceive its 'color'.

I have had a formal musical training (classical guitar - Conservatory)

I often make variations mentally on riffs for guitar and bass in my music collection, sometimes original ones as well.

I usually can play the music I hear in my head, but I can't read music and reading music doesn't sound like what it sounds like...

Problem with written music is it doesn't mention the techniques involved. Why I vastly prefer tab. Sheet music can be good for all instruments but it hardly works for any besides piano well.

pretty sure all hearing happens in the head. Just a bunch of physical ossilations until your brain makes sense of the input.

You can play anything or pretty much anything and I can notate the chords, soprano line, bass line, and depending on how difficult the music, the middle voices with a few replays. I can also provide a traditional western tonality analysis unless it is some roaming Wagnerian harmony that doesn't follow tonal framework.

A normal ability and 40 000 of practice.

If it is rock pop , I could notate the entire arrangement for each instrument as well.

I think it is a matter of learning frameworks, having a large vocabulary and being able to reference those frameworks from repeated practice. Some ability, lots of practice.

I used to do it by ear. But having a framework allows you to say transpose the entire thing in a different key and not having to actually think about it. I could sight read an orchestral score and transpose all parts including the transposing instruments. Again as long as it isn't something that is post tonal.