Part 2/9:
Rick begins by emphasizing the difficulty of deciphering intricate chords that often span the entire keyboard and involve layered voices—chords built upon other chords, with figures that use layers of major and minor thirds, augmented and diminished intervals, and inversions. The goal is to equip musicians with a set of practical listening and analytical tools to confidently identify and name these chords after just a few listens.
Step 1: Identify the Basic Building Blocks
The first crucial principle is to listen for chord structures built in thirds. Many complex chords are essentially combinations of triads or extended chords that are comprised of major or minor thirds. Rick illustrates this by analyzing a chord identified as C augmented over D-flat augmented.